Perceptions Series: 02 Wants and Needs
by kalinda001
Summary: Avon's slow recovery continues with the help of the others. His next challenge will be to leave the ship for the first time; he goes on a safe shopping trip with Cally but nothing is ever as it seems. Avon & Cally slowly learn to relate to one another.
1. Chapter 1

Chapter One

"You just had to get the new program, didn't you?" complained Tam Allren to his taciturn friend Ture Enges; while Federation security personnel searched them both.

"Be quiet!" ordered the one searching Allren; emphasizing his sentence with a light jab to the kidney area.

Allren made a grunting sound as he moved involuntarily away from the source of the pain. Like his friend and the dozen or so people lined up, Allren was facing a blank grey wall, with his hands flat against its surface and legs spread in the normal search position. They were all about to be transported to a Federation Security building.

_You're the one who got us into this Ture; so of course I'm the one who gets hit._

Allren was thinking that his friend was being much too quiet. When the guard searching him had moved off, Allren deliberately stamped hard on his friend's boot.

"What are you doing?" exclaimed Ture as he lifted his sore foot.

The guard immediately came back and struck hard against Ture's kidney with the butt of his carbine. "I said be quiet!" Ture's knees nearly buckled at the pain. He gave Allren a dirty look after the guard left. Allren was suddenly very interested in the wall in front of him.

Allren and Ture were tech mercenaries and former tech specialists in the Federation Advance Strike Forces. They were now occasionally commissioned by various rebel alliance groups when advanced computer skills were required; including Argus's former W.E.D. group.

They were currently one of about a dozen buyers being "detained" due to a raid by Federation security on an "underground" computer supplier.

What really irritated Allren was that they weren't even there to get some dangerous new hacking device or infiltration software tool.

_Blake and the Space Princess. This is embarrassing. It's not even a title like Space Lane Mega-death or Avon Ultra-Hacker._

Ture had insisted on getting the new Blake holo-game; which of course only "underground" suppliers dared to sell. It had not helped Allren's temper that the security personnel had all laughed when they found the offending game crystal in _his_ pocket. Allren had grabbed it out of his friend's hand and shoved it in his own pocket earlier; in order to push Ture towards the exit counter. Ture had kept looking at more crystals and had refused to leave.

_You are so dead when we get out of here_, thought Allren.

Once the security prisoner transports arrived, they were all herded on and strapped in. This was not the first time that Allren and Ture had been in this kind of situation.

_And probably not the last_, sighed Allren. _Although it's usually not for such an embarrassing reason._

The security in this moderate trading post in this quiet sector of space was best described as random. This was why Allren and Ture had picked Papos as a place for some down time. They had been here for over two weeks and had gotten into a comfortable routine with the life of the trading post.

_Well it's not comfortable anymore_, thought Allren.

After the transport arrived at the security building, they were all recorded and had their relevant details gathered. Then they were herded in single file towards the interrogation rooms.

Allren was not worried, even though he and Ture were deserters from the Federation Forces. Ture always kept their records clean by hacking into Central Security and the Federation Records Bureau computers regularly and adding or deleting details. The records actually made for amusing reading sometimes.

Ture made a mental note to erase these records when they were released.

"Everyone turn and face the wall," ordered a guard suddenly. A party of people were approaching from the far end of the corridor they were walking along. "And keep quiet!"

All of the prisoners obeyed. Allren tried to sneak a glimpse at what all the fuss was about but this only got him another rap against his kidneys. Allren groaned this time. A nice painful bruise was developing there. He did manage to catch a snatch of the conversation as the group passed.

"You have the records ready for me?" asked a calm, cultured and slightly superior voice.

"Yes psychostrategist Sester. I have arranged a private office for you so that you can study them at your leisure," said one of the officials.

"You are very efficient," said the Sester voice.

"This may be a small trading post in a barren sector of space but…" Allren could not longer hear the rest as the party moved off beyond hearing range.

"Get moving," the guard ordered them.

As the prisoners moved off again, Allren wondered what a psychostrategist would be doing in such a far away outpost. The computer engineer had a bad feeling. Psychostrategists made him nervous. Some people said that they were so accurate in predicting individual human behaviour that they had to have the ability to read minds.

Allren fervently hoped that the psychostrategist had been too preoccupied to read his and Allren's minds. _You would find too many interesting things there. I think it's time to leave this planet. It's getting much too hot for us here._

**********

"How is your health today?" Cally asked Avon. Avon had been recuperating in the medical bay for the last three days; ever since the incident with the sphere and the Investigator. He was still very weak.

_How did I ever manage at the Detention Centre?_ thought Avon. He was angry at his own weakness and slowness in recovering. What he did not know was that he had never managed at the Detention Centre. Everything there had been strictly regulated by the interrogators. Physically he had passed the point of collapse a long time ago. That was why he was always carefully monitored by the medical personnel. They had only kept him going with a battery of drugs. Unfortunately the drugs had also slowly destabilized his body's own natural ability to recover. That had never been a concern of the interrogators.

Not knowing this, Cally had been trying to wean him off this set of drugs and restabilize his body chemistry and retrain his body's ability to heal. She knew it would be a very slow process. What she did not know was that it was the worse thing she could have done for him. If his body was capable of it, it would have responded to her treatment. The only thing it did achieve was leave him feeling weak and ill most of the time; it did not improve his disposition.

For once, ORAC was not of much help. The only ones who had the kind of knowledge required to help Avon were the Federation specialists at the Detention Centre. It was not information which was committed to files of any kind; such methods were not officially sanctioned by the Federation. Any such records would have proven embarrassing if discovered accidentally or intentionally.

Because of this, after the Investigator had Avon tortured, his body was not strong enough to recover on its own. Cally hated the necessity but she realized that she might have to return the drugs to their original levels. At least until he had healed enough that they could start over again. She decided to give it one more day before she did that.

"I am fine Cally," said Avon. He really tried to sound impassively fine.

_You are not fine_, thought Cally. Her medical instruments told her that; but it was a game they were used to playing now. She knew he hated being there; hated having to be taken care of. He always insisted that he was fine enough to go back to his own cabin and she always put her foot down and refused to allow him to.

Avon could have left anytime he wanted to. He was not being restrained anymore. But he knew that even the act of getting out of bed would result in an embarrassing collapse and the need to be helped back into bed. So they played their little game and he was properly indignant at having to submit to being taken care of.

For Avon, his physical condition was an irritation to be ignored or overcome. He was in a much better frame of mind since the experience in the mock isolation cell. He could think again without the difficulty and massive effort which had drained him before. To a man like Avon, it was an extremely important breakthrough. He was finally starting to feel like himself again; not the pitiful creature he had been since being rescued from the Detention Centre.

Cally had noticed this in their recent conversations.

After their normal exchange, and Avon had reluctantly conceded to humour her wishes, Cally asked, "Avon, do you know a psychostrategist named Sester?"

"Yes, why do you ask?" asked Avon. His curiosity was piqued.

"I know him too."

Avon was definitely interested now. He could not think of a circumstance in which the two of them could have met. Avon also realized that he had never asked Cally what happened on Terminal, after he had left her, thinking she was dead. He wasn't sure why he hadn't. _It is not as if I have had anything pressing to do_.

Argus had still not allotted him a full role in the routine of the ship yet. They were all afraid that he could not handle it yet.

Avon knew that he was expected to say something personal to resolve any awkwardness between himself and Cally; in a way he wanted to. He remembered that on the Liberator, Cally was one of the few people who understood him. She appreciated his abilities and respected his honesty even if she did not agree with his lack of morality.

In the final year before they all thought she was lost, both of them had gone through some shattering personal experiences. Cally lost her people; Avon lost Anna. In terms of quantity, hers was the greater loss but in terms of soul-destroying experiences, they had shared a kinship.

Avon reflected what an amusing idea a soul was; and even more amusing to think that he had one. He had not known he had one until it had hurt.

"Cally, before you continue, I have something to say."

"What is it Avon?"

"That day on Terminal, I thought you were dead. Otherwise, I would never have left you there."

"I know," said Cally. _That actually sounds like an apology_, she thought.

She was surprised that he wanted to talk about what happened at Terminal. She had never known him to want to talk about anything personal; even after Anna died. It was as if personal considerations did not exist for him; not even his own. Anything which was not subject to the cold, logical analysis had no importance to him.

_But you were never heartless, _thought Cally._ Which was something the others never understood about you. Except perhaps Blake. You just never found it necessary to prove it with sentimental displays. I always respected that about you. _

Avon almost laughed at her response. _Of course you knew. You always thought I was capable of more humanity than I am._

"I just wanted you to know that. That is all," said Avon.

At that moment Vila entered the medical bay.

"Cally, I need more of your magic pills," said Vila jokingly. When he realized that she was busy with Avon, he said, "I'm sorry. Thought you were finished already. I can come back."

Cally was alarmed by the strain and paleness of Vila's face. Clutching his stomach in pain was also not a good sign.

Vila was suffering from severe indigestion after consuming an unhealthy amount of a new dessert he had discovered. He had been methodically going through the vast array of consumables available in the _Justice_'s food dispensers. Vila had discovered it possessed a much wider menu than the Liberator's.

"It's alright, Vila. We're done," said Cally._ For now. _

Cally attended to her new patient.


	2. Chapter 2

Wants and Needs

Chapter Two

"Look, I'm sorry. Alright? How many times do I have to say it?" asked Argus. He was in the corridor outside Reya's cabin. She was inside and had refused to let him in or open the door; or even speak to him. If he had not seen her enter her cabin, he would have thought that he was speaking to an empty room.

It had been a week since the sphere incident and Reya had decided that she was going to be mad at him for awhile. The revelation that Argus had planned to either leave her or push her away; without even discussing it with her first, had caused her to realize their relationship needed some serious work.

Except for painfully professional conversations, she made sure they were never alone. At other times she would shut herself off in her cabin; and she always managed to do it before he could intercept her. Argus suspected she was getting help from some of the others in the crew, specifically Jenna and Cally.

None of them said anything but he was sure that they were all secretly amused.

_I must be getting paranoid_, thought Argus.

"Look this is embarrassing. What if one of the crew comes by?" said Argus.

"I don't care," came a muffled voice from inside the cabin. "Go away Argus."

_Well at least you said something. Although anything else would have been better than "go away."_

"I made a mistake. I should have talked it over with you before I made my decision," said Argus placatingly.

"I hate you," came the muffled response.

_Okay that is much worse than "go away." _He knew she didn't mean it. Or at least he really hoped she didn't mean it. He hoped he had not made a complete mess of things.

_Damn that Investigator. Why couldn't he leave things alone?_

"Please Reya, don't say that," he begged her. At that moment Vila strolled by, on his way to his own cabin.

He looked at Argus strangely. "Having problems with the door?" Vila asked.

"No. I'm fine. Thanks," said Argus. He tried to look casual. "She must be asleep."

"Yes. She must be," said Vila without an ounce of sarcasm. "Good night then."

Argus walked slowly towards his own cabin. He waited until Vila had entered his cabin and the door slid closed; then he came back to Reya's door.

"Reya," he said.

"Why are you still out there? I told you to go away," was the response.

"Tell me that you don't hate me. Then I will go," said Argus.

The door slid open. Argus wanted to throw his arms around her and hug her, but the look on her face stopped him. It was the look of hurt and disappointment. He wished the door had stayed closed.

"You're right, I don't hate you," Reya told him. "But right now I don't think I like you very much. Now go away and be your rebel leader and leave me alone." She closed the door in his face.

Argus stood unmoving. _At least you don't hate me, _he thought.He was at a loss at what to do next.

He didn't have to think too long, the door slid open again.

Reya asked, "You don't even know why I'm angry with you, do you?"

Argus had thought that it was because he had decided to push her away, without talking things over with her first. But standing there, he wasn't sure anymore. He was afraid to ask if it was because of what he had revealed to her under the Investigator's influence.

Reya could see the uncertainty in his eyes. _You are so full of doubt about yourself. So unlike the leader on the flight deck. _Reya sighed. This was not what she had intended.

"We had better discuss this inside," she said as she stepped aside to let him in.

After he entered her cabin, Reya deliberately kept her distance from him. She wanted to make sure that they would only concentrate on what was important.

"You were going to push me away without even talking it over with me; without even telling me why," she told him.

Argus looked guilty. That was exactly what he had planned to do.

"Did you have so little faith in me that you didn't even want to risk giving me the chance to decide for myself? So you made the decision for me?"

It had not occurred to Argus that she would see it that way. He realized how serious an error he had made.

"That wasn't why I did it," he told her.

"I know that wasn't. It never even occurred to you what the implications of your actions could be from my perspective, did you?"

"No," he admitted.

"That is why I am angry with you. Now that you know. You can leave," she pointed to the door.

"What can I do to make it up to you?" he asked. He moved towards her.

She backed away, keeping the same distance away from him. He stopped.

Reya asked, "Do you think that we can just sleep together and things will be better?"

"I was thinking that was one of the things we could do."

"That is always your fallback, isn't it? Doing something you know you're good at. And yes, you are very good at it. But it won't work this time, Argus. You have to become much better at something you are not good at. Until then, I don't think we have much more to discuss. Will you leave now?"

"You are going to give me a chance then?" he asked.

"Yes."

Argus smiled.

"Don't be happy so soon Argus."

_I have every reason to be happy_, he thought. "You're staying."

"Really Argus, that should have been evident by now. If I was leaving, I would have done it before we left Sector Ten. But I will have to leave soon. I still have duties. The conflict with Ellis and the aliens is not over yet. And I need to speak with Borel."

Argus nodded. They both had responsibilities.

"I will ask Cally to arrange it for you. I will leave you alone then," he told her. He headed towards the door. Just as he was exiting, Argus stopped and turned around. He said, "I will be better at this. I promise." He left.

_I know you will, _thought Reya_. That's all I needed you to do. And you would never do it unless you were pushed._

As he headed back to the flight deck, Argus knew he was in for a long period of reparation. But he didn't care; he knew what was expected of him now. He was feeling much better.

* * *

"Vila, I have no interest in your latest gastronomic misadventure," said Avon. "I prefer something plain. With as little sweetener as humanly possible."

They were both in the dining area. Vila, as usual, had been tasked with ordering Avon's food. It was morning and time for some breakfast. To Avon's increasing annoyance, this had meant putting up with whatever Vila's favourite food of the moment was. And in Vila's still-unfinished self-appointed mission to explore all the possibilities the food dispenser was capable of, the palatability of the food had been highly variable. Vila had a leaning towards things which had, what Avon considered, an abnormally high sugar content.

Vila's last choice of food had been so sweet that it had almost made Avon ill.

"You'll like this one. It's not as sweet as the last one and it's got nuts in it," said Vila as he put a plate down in front of the analyst and one at his own place. The colour and texture of the item gave Avon no confidence as to Vila's claims. It was another cake; this one had lots of light green and purple icing.

_Why would an Altan crew have this item in their menu? _wondered Avon

Avon's stomach was already feeling queasy even though he hadn't taken a bite yet. "I can't eat this," he said, pushing the plate away.

"What's wrong with it?" mumbled Vila; as he put a forkful of the cake into his mouth. He was obviously enjoying it.

"It is disgusting," said Avon.

"How would you know if you don't try it?" asked Vila.

Unfortunately Avon was feeling hungry. _But not hungry enough to eat this abomination. _Avon decided that he was already feeling ill enough without having to be subjected to more nauseating food choices.

Avon got up, went over to the food dispenser and punched up the code for an order of plain toast with a little bit of sim-butter and coffee, black. Avon brought the plate of toast and the cup of steaming coffee over to the table and sat down again. Vila was staring at him.

"Is there something wrong?" asked Avon, as he picked up a slice of toast.

"Avon! You're eating breakfast!"

"Your powers of observation are astounding," said Avon sarcastically.

"I mean. You just picked your own breakfast and you're eating it!"

Avon looked down in astonishment at the plate and cup of coffee he had just chosen.

"So it would seem," he said wryly.

Vila was beaming. "I knew it would work."

"Vila, if your idea was to annoy me until I was forced to make my own decision, I am surprised it took you so long to think of it. I would have thought being annoying would come naturally to you."

"You're welcome," said Vila. He had an even bigger grin on his face. "Although if Cally were here she would probably say something like your choice of food lacked the proper nutritional requirements for a balanced morning meal."

"She would not be highly impressed with your choice as well," remarked Avon.

"We won't tell her then," said Vila, as he took another forkful of cake.

Avon took a bite of _his_ toast, and enjoyed the lack of any kind of sugar or nutritional value.

* * *

Psychostrategist Sester leaned back in his chair as he brought up the next page of a report on his datapad.

_Why is it that small minded bureaucrats always assume that the volume of words can substitute for actual useful content?_

After reaching the last page of the report, Sester put the datapad down in disgust.

_I am going to have to scout out my own information. _He disliked having to do his own legwork but the Federation President expected results and it was the only way to obtain them. Sester did not trust in the ability of security personnel at this outpost. Or rather he trusted in the inability of the people here.

He sighed. Servalan had him chasing all over the Federation, tracking down leads of possible alien activity. Some of the leads were so tenuous as to be ridiculous but she still insisted on sending him and expecting a thorough analysis and report. Sester was certain it was because he was still under censure for defying her. He had not had a days respite since being released from the Detention Centre. She kept him constantly busy and following her orders.

Sester headed towards the senior controller's office. Controller Dayto was not only a fool, he was an incompetent fool. This was nothing new to Sester, in his role as psychostrategist, he had occasion to meet many of them. He thought how ironic it was that people who tended to gravitate to the top of the Federation command structure were either self-protective fools like Dayto, or ruthlessly cold-blooded like Servalan.

The report Sester had been given had been curious in its lack of actual useful detailed information. Sester was certain that the controller had edited some of the material. He was determined to find out what it was. Sester did not suffer fools gladly; and especially not fools who wasted his valuable time.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter Three

Argus entered the medical bay with trepidation. Cally was inside. Argus felt like he was about to enter a cave of death. Actually he would have preferred entering a cave of death; at least he would have known what to do then. Argus was well equipped to battle on many fronts; he excelled at it. He was not equipped to do what he was about to do. Argus felt like a bumbling novice.

"Cally," said Argus, calling her attention away from cataloguing the medical stores.

Since the _Liberator_ had not been stocked with something as essential as radiation meds, Cally was determined that the _Justice_ would not be as ill-equipped. Since Avon had been well enough to be allowed to go back to his cabin, she decided it was a good time to deal with this often put off task.

"Yes, Argus? Is there something I can do for you?" Cally wondered if the man's shoulder was bothering him again. She knew that he had been stressed lately and this tended to cause him pain in his shoulders. It had irritated him to no end to know that even though the injuries to his shoulders were completely healed, it would still bother him occasionally.

"Uh…" said Argus. He wasn't quite sure how to proceed.

From the way the rebel leader was hesitating when faced with such a simple question, Cally determined that it was not a simple medical ailment.

_Whatever you want to say, is making you very uncomfortable_, identified Cally. She could sense his tension. She guessed that his shoulder _was_ probably bothering him again but that it was not his immediate concern. Cally had to carefully watch Argus during his recovery because he tended to work through pain rather than acknowledge it.

Cally recognized that if she were to ask him about his shoulder, he would probably grab it as a welcome distraction to avoid doing what he came to the medical bay to do. She decided to help him by not saying anything.

Argus was a man who did not normally fidget or pace. He did not fidget now; but he had an overwhelming desire to attack something. Argus found himself wondering how good a fighter Cally was. He knew that she and Jenna had been receiving unarmed combat lessons from Reya.

_Reya._

The thought of Reya pulled his mind back to the reason why he had come to the medical bay to consult with Cally.

_I have to do this for Reya._

He took a deep breath and said, "You're a woman."

At the amused look on her face, he thought, O_f course she's a woman_._ She didn't need me to state the obvious. Damn. This is not starting out well._

He had been determined not to come out of this sounding like an idiot.

_It's probably too late for that now_, thought Argus. Normally he would never mix his personal life with his professional one but Reya was more important than his own reputation. On the ship, there were few alternatives for him if he wanted advice about certain things.

The idea of soliciting ORAC's had not seemed right. Besides he doubted if the supercomputer would consider such human pursuits as an appropriate use of its time and resources.

By now Cally had guessed that the rebel leader's source of anxiety had something to do with the female commander. Cally had been one of the first ones to identify that there was more to their relationship than appeared on the surface. She also knew that something had happened between them during the incident with the Investigator; though neither one of them had said anything. They were still very private about their relationship.

Cally knew that the commander had been avoiding being alone with Argus and deliberately frustrated him at every turn. She also appeared to be very cold with him. Cally could see that Argus thought that Reya was angry with him. The Auron knew differently; that was not what she had been sensing from the commander.

"I was wondering. Hypothetically speaking of course," said Argus. He paused. _That's a better start; though very cliché. But where to I go from here?_

_You really are very inexperienced at this_, thought Cally.

"If someone were to do something which was insensitive. Without knowing it was insensitive. And not intending it to be insensitive but only wanted the best for the other person he was being insensitive to. But ended up hurting the person instead. And that person was a female. What could the someone do to fix things with that person?" asked Argus. His thoughts came out all in a jumble; which reflected the confusion in his own mind when it came to feelings and personal matters.

Cally had almost laughed on hearing his description of the problem. What Argus said was almost completely incomprehensible. But knowing who the various someones were, she could guess what he was talking about.

"What was this hypothetical something which was done?" asked Cally.

The question shocked him. Argus wasn't sure he wanted to go into that much detail. He suddenly discovered that he had something more urgent to do on the flight deck.

"I've got to go," said Argus. "I'll talk about this later." _Much later, _he thought as he bolted out of the medical bay.

"This is not going to be easy," remarked Cally to the medical stores.

* * *

"I have no desire to go shopping, Cally" said Avon as he lay on a bio-bed in the medical bay. He had come for his daily injections. As Cally administered them, she had suggested that he go down with her to the nearby trading post to pick up some supplies.

"It is not a shopping trip, Avon. The medical supplies on this ship appear to be as inadequate as the ones on the _Liberator_ were. I am endeavoring to be prepared for any possible contingencies," said Cally. "You should appreciate that."

Avon did appreciate it. He remembered very clearly how Vila, Jenna, Gan and himself had nearly died because the _Liberator_'s medical supplies did not include radiation meds.

"I still do not hear a compelling reason for me to be present. I have limited knowledge of pharmacology," said Avon. "I am sure you are more than capable of acquiring the appropriate supplies without my help. And if you need someone to carry things for you, I am certain that Argus would fill that role quite adequately."

"You must be feeling much better," said Cally as she gave him his last injection.

"I do not see how that observation follows from our conversation," said Avon. He closed his eyes to the dizziness as his body adjusted to the drugs. This was such a familiar routine now that he did it without even thinking about.

"I have discovered that your general health is best determined by how difficult you become when being asked to do something you would prefer not doing," said Cally as she put the injector back into the drawer.

Avon smiled. "Isn't that a more accurate description of Vila?" he asked. Physically, Avon stlll felt weak and ill; but mentally he was definitely more like himself.

"Vila is resistant regardless of the state of his health," retorted Cally.

"What is the real reason you want me to go down with you?" asked Avon. He opened his eyes and turned his head to look directly at her.

"I could use the company," said Cally. He could see that she was being sincere.

Avon remembered that they used to work well together. She did not manipulate him or constantly make demands on him like Blake did. Any mistrust she may have had was not always as blatant as Jenna's. She was more reliable than Vila. She appreciated his abilities and she had even expressed interest in his work on occasion. Neither of them felt the necessity to hide who they were.

They used to be comfortable together. Avon wondered if he could ever have that level of comfort with anyone again.

_It may be interesting to find out_, thought Avon.

At the Detention Centre, Servalan and Sester were his only points of human contact. Avon knew it had been a deliberate attempt to make him dependent on them. To a certain extent it had worked; even though he knew what they were doing and hated them for it. They had used, tortured and humiliated him; but he had needed them. They were the only ones who had talked to him as if he were a human being. It had been so hard at the Detention Centre. Everything they did to him there, stripped him of his humanity; made him feel like an object. Sometimes he still found that he missed the conversations with Sester and the interactions with Servalan.

_I need to make other points of human contact_, thought Avon. He needed them in order to erase the memories of the ones he had been forced to have.

The dizziness from the drugs had passed. He was feeling a bit stronger. Avon sat up slowly and swung his legs over the edge of the bed.

"Well Cally, what are we waiting for?" asked Avon.

* * *

"I don't think that is a good idea," Argus said to Cally and Avon when they approached him with the request the Avon be allowed to go down to the trading post.

"Am I a prisoner on this ship?" asked Avon. His tone was clearly a challenge.

"You know I don't mean that Avon," said Argus. He sighed. Avon was going to be difficult again. He wondered if Avon had always been like this with Blake.

"You have not left the ship since you came back. Except for going down to Zirgon. You had a lot of problems with being in a strange environment there, as I recall. And I highly doubt they allowed you any time outside, at the Detention Centre," Argus pointed out. "Are you sure you're not going to have any problems now?"

"We will never find out by keeping me up here," said Avon. Actually it had not occurred to him that "being outside" might be a problem; but he was not going to admit that to Argus. He did vaguely remember the infirmary at Zirgon but he was in much worse shape then.

_I __have __better control now. I should be able to handle this._ His progress recently had made him more confident.

"I will be with him, Argus," said Cally. "We will teleport back immediately if there are any problems."

Cally could sense that Avon really wanted to try this. She knew that for him to function again, he had to regain control over his own life.

"If I collapse, you can say that 'I told you so' later," said Avon. "Papos is a safe enough place to try this. There is a Federation presence. But not enough of one to present any difficulties. "

_I need you to trust me, _thought Avon.

Argus looked at Avon. They needed this man to be functional again. From his conversations with Avon, Argus knew how it galled him to be unable to do even the simplest things without aid.

_You have made progress_, thought Argus. Vila had made some significant breakthroughs in helping Avon regain some independence. _That must be making you feel much more confident. And Cally will be with you. I hope none of us will regret this._

"Very well," said Argus. "As you said, you are not a prisoner on this ship. The choice is yours."

"Then I choose this," said Avon. He hoped that he had not made a mistake. "I will consult with ORAC on a quiet location to teleport down."

Argus nodded. No further words were needed; they both knew it would be an important test. Avon left.

As Cally followed Avon out, Argus said, "Cally. Give him the time he needs."

Cally paused and looked at him. "You are anticipating he will have trouble?"

"Don't you?"

"Then why are you letting him go down?"

"He needs this. But if you determine that he can't, bring him back. I don't care if you have to tie him up first. Sometimes his pride gets in the way of his famous rationality and he refuses to accept that he can't do everything himself."

"That appears to be a common problem," remarked Cally.

Argus managed to look embarrassed.

* * *

"You just had to provoke the interrogator, didn't you?" said Allren in disgust to his tech friend. They were currently languishing in one of the many depressingly grey holding cells in the main Federation Security building on Papos. They were both possessors of numerous fresh bruises because Ture had made the mistake of remarking that even dead, Avon got more action than the interrogator could possibly be getting.

"Did you lose your mind while I wasn't looking," asked Allren. His friend rarely spoke, but when he did it was usually for a good reason. _Not in this case_, thought Allren.

"He was maligning Avon and Blake's reputation. I could not stay silent," said Ture.

"Well of course he did, he's Federation! What did you think he was going to say when he found out we had been arrested for having _Blake and the Space Princess_ in our possession? Couldn't you have at least found a less embarrassing title?" pointed out Allren. The bruise over his right eye was causing vision problems. He tried to blink but it hurt to do so. "Now instead of holding us for twenty-four hours as a lesson for a minor misdemeanour, they're going to investigate us for possible rebel leanings. Who knows what they'll find."

"They won't find anything in the records," said Ture.

"They'd better not."

"I'm sorry. But I couldn't let them say those things about Avon."

"Yeah well, next time warn me in advance so that I can get a couple of punches in too," said Allren as he rubbed his eye. This did not appear to help.

Ture had not only provoked the interrogator, he had also decked him with a punch to the face. That was why they had both been beaten up by the guards.

Ture smiled. "I'll try to remember that."

"Now let's see about getting out of here. I don't think it's healthy for us to be here, even if they don't find anything in the records about us." They both knew that the Federation could find anything it wanted to; facts had never been a barrier to determination and imagination.

As they checked out the walls and door, Ture asked, "What do you suppose that psychostrategist is here for?"

"I don't know," said Allren. "Psychostrategists make me nervous. Having one here means the Federation has more of an interest here than it did before. It's a good reason to leave here as soon as possible."

"I know what you mean."

They both increased their efforts to find a way out.


	4. Chapter 4

Avon and Cally shimmered into view on the planet Papos. They had teleported down to a secluded wooded park area one section away from the main commercial avenue on Papos.

Papos was a modest planet with a moderately-sized but busy commercial centre. People still called it a trading post even though it was considerably larger than that now. It still retained its trading post atmosphere.

Papos was new to the Federation. It still had not acquired the habits of a Federation-run society. Actually the locals were becoming increasingly underwhelmed with the so-called benefits of joining the Federation. Many of them had objected to losing the independence of a free-trading post.

Avon immediately began having unwelcomed feelings of panic. The lack of walls, the sky stretching far above him, the thousands of unfamiliar colours and the feeling of open space; they were overwhelming.

His conscious mind was trying to processing their new surroundings; his subconscious mind was panicking because it had lost its safe, familiar surroundings. He reached out towards a tree for support; he was starting to feel dizzy. Avon closed his eyes and struggled to rationalize the irrational. The weakness and feelings of illness were increasing. His struggle was causing him to breathe faster.

"Avon?" Cally said gently. She had immediately noticed his difficulty.

"Give me a few minutes Cally," said Avon. He was trying very hard to concentrate past the panic; trying hard to sound calm and in control. But he could not fool Cally.

She waited. _Argus was right_, she thought.

"I can do this," he told her; or perhaps he was trying to tell himself. There was great determination in his voice. His mind had failed him so often in the past three years, that he refused to allow it to anymore.

Avon tried to think through the crisis.

_Think. Why did I not have any problems which I was in the gardens at Residence One?_ he asked himself.

He knew the answer. Even though Servalan had allowed him to walk outside, he had still been a prisoner there; he could still felt the walls of his prison even when he was in the garden.

_I have been a prisoner for so long; that it has become a part of who I am. _

Here on this strange planet, no longer enclosed in suffocating but familiar walls; and with the sky open above him, the trappings of the prisoner were no longer present.

_I do not know who I am anymore without the walls. _The panic threatened to override conscious thought. _No! _

Avon fought to maintain the thread of reasoning. He was angry at what his enemies had done to him. The anger was useful; it distracted from the feelings of panic. Avon realized that he had not just been a prisoner physically; what they did to him had a much deeper effect.

_They kept the parts of me they needed and tried to remake the rest into what they wanted, _he thought bitterly. _Did they leave anything for me?_

The fear told him that they did not. _No! I will not accept that!_

His mind continued to rationalize his situation. He wondered, _Why do I not have this problem on the Justice?_

His mind also had the answer to that question._ Because on the ship, the others already had an identity for me._

His identity on the ship was bound up in what the others remembered of who he had been and in the roles they needed him to fill.

_So even on the ship, my identity was not my own. _

That still left one important question. _Then who am I when there is no one else? When there are no walls? _It scared him that he didn't know.

_No. I will not give in to this fear. Servalan did this to me. I will not let her win. I will find who I am again. _

He realized that even though his enemies had tried to destroy his sense of who he was, they had never been able to destroy his basic character. That was why it had always been necessary to keep him off-balance and controlled at the Centre.

_I can do this, _he told himself. _If I can survive the Detention Centre, I can do this. _

_You never survived the Detention Centre, Avon. You still belong to me. You cannot survive without us. We made sure of that. _He could almost hear Servalan's voice in his head; saying the things he was subconsciously afraid of.

He wondered if he was already going mad. _The drugs are supposed to prevent the nightmares. _

Avon struggled to reduce the problem to something he could rationalize. The increased concentration and confidence allowed him to do this.

_This must not be a nightmare then. It is the fear talking. Fear is not reality. Not unless I allow it to be._

Avon clenched his teeth in determination and removed his hand from the tree.

_I will do this. No matter how long this takes. _He was resolved.

_It was a mistake to leave me alive, Servalan. _

Avon straightened up and opened his eyes. He was facing the tree he had been using for support; a support - he made a conscious decision - which he no longer needed.

He made a conscious denial. _I am not a prisoner. My life is not defined by walls or what others want me to be._

Keeping these thoughts in his mind, Avon turned around. Cally was looking at him with concern.

_Not even you, Cally_,he thought.

His mind thought about why they were there, _This is a small, insignificant planet. We are here to get medical supplies. That is all. _He held onto the task at hand.

_As long as I keep focused on the task, I will be fine. _Avon was so focused he no longer paid attention to the trees, the sky, or the myriad of colours. He no longer felt the open space. They were just facts to be processed.

Avon was still aware of the fear and panic at the edge of his consciousness but it was controllable. He knew he had to keep focused or that could change very quickly.

"You did it," said Cally. Although she could not read his mind, she had been aware of the flow of his consciousness. She could sense his struggle and his determination; and she had been aware of the turning point. Cally knew the man who stood before her now was different from the one who had teleported down with her.

He was focused and her impression of him was much clearer.

_You have a stronger sense of who you are now, _she thought._ You are no longer lost. There is an assurance which was not there before._

Because she was aware of what it had taken for him to get to this point, her admiration for him had grown even more. And she had a greater appreciation for Argus's leadership.

"For now," Avon told her. "Shall we go? I believe we have some shopping to do."

* * *

"I still don't understand why we had to come down here too," Vila said to Jenna.

Jenna had persuaded Vila to come down to Papos with her. She had almost dragged him into the teleport room. They had arrived in a quiet alcove just off the main commercial avenue.

"It's not a matter of needing to come down, VIla. It was a matter of _someone_ needing us to be _down here_," said Jenna.

"Oh," said Vila. "Cally didn't say that she needed help."

"Sometimes you are dense Vila. Haven't you noticed Argus and Reya having problems?"

"Oh," Vila said again. "So you wanted to give them time alone?"

"Got it in one."

_Why do I keep missing these interesting things?_ Vila asked himself. "What did you want to do then? There's not a lot here. It's no Space City."

"I thought we might do some shopping."

"Couldn't we do something more fun, like sampling the local brews?" asked Vila.

"We can do both."

"Lead on," said Vila.

They exited the alcove and were immediately assaulted by the sounds of a busy avenue. The street was wide and it was a non-work day so it was packed with people rushing about carrying packages of numerous shapes and sizes.

"I take it back," said Vila as yet another person bumped into him in their hurry to get somewhere else. "It's a little like Space City. Except, not in space." Vila rubbed his arm. Whoever it was who had bumped into him that time, had something very hard under their jacket.

_Something concealed? A weapon_? Vila shook his head. _Must be getting paranoid_.

* * *

Reya walked down the short flight of steps onto the flight deck.

"Where is everyone?" she asked Argus. He was busy at his co-pilot's station, running some flight simulations for the practice.

"Are you talking to me now?" he asked.

"Unfortunately, you're the only one I can ask. I can't seem to find anyone else," she said.

"They're all down on Papos," he told her distractedly; his eyes focused on the panel in front of him.

Reya looked at him suspiciously. "Did you arrange this?"

Argus looked up at her. He suddenly realized they were completely alone on the ship, just the two of them.

_That's why Jenna was so insistent on Vila going down with her, _he thought.

"No," admitted Argus. Argus realized that he should have thought of this himself. "It looks like they're interfering again."

"_Someone_ had to do _something_," emphasized Reya.

"You mean, you expected me to do this?" he asked.

"Not exactly this," she told him. "But something."

"I'm sorry," he was crestfallen. He had been procrastinating. Running simulations was much easier than fixing a relationship. _Damn. I wish there was a manual for this relationship stuff somewhere._

She sighed. _You really are hopeless at this_, she thought. _I'm going to have to learn more patience. And obviously you need some help.

* * *

_

"Where do you suppose they're keeping our stuff?" Ture whispered to Allren. They were making their way silently along a corridor of the main Federation Security building. Allren had managed to disable the door lock in their cell and they were in the process of escaping.

They flattened themselves against the wall as a security camera swept in their direction.

"Don't tell me you're still thinking about that stupid game," Allren whispered back.

"It would be nice to have it back and retrieve our equipment."

"Forget about it. You've gotten us into enough trouble as it is," said Allren. His right eye was still painfully swollen from the beating administered by the guards. "I want to get off this miserable planet as soon as possible."

The camera swept past them and they continued down the corridor.

"Alright. I suppose you're right."

"Of course I'm right. Besides I thought you only played games with Avon in them, not Blake."

"It's not about that."

"Then what is it?" whispered Allren as they reached a junction. Allren peered around the corner. The coast was clear.

"The Princess, she reminds me of Cally."

Allren rolled his eyes. "That's just great. Let's concentrate on getting out of here."

* * *

Psychostrategist Sester was becoming very annoyed; though he showed no outward signs. He was seated in senior controller Dayto's office on the top floor of the main Federation Security building. Sester had come to question the man about his woefully inadequate report.

Dayto said again, "I assure you that there are no additional details, psychostrategist Sester. The report is as complete as we can make it."

Even though Sester had spent the past hour pointing out the glaring omissions in the report he had been given, the controller still adamantly insisted that the report was complete. The report was full of details, very few of which were useful. As Sester read the report, it had been very clear that the writer's intention was to hide the lack by burying the reader in a mass of useless facts. Unfortunately, the writer did not know the abilities of a psychostrategist.

Sester was becoming increasingly certain that the senior controller was not incompetent. The man was deliberately lying. He was very good at pretending to be pleasant but useless; but he could not fool Sester. It was what the man was not saying and how he was not saying it, which spoke volumes to the psychostrategist.

"What game are you trying to play?" asked Sester. He had enough of the pretense, lies and half-truths.

_You do not know who your opponent is if you are trying to do this with me, _thought Sester.

The senior controller did not answer. He stared at Sester; he appeared to be trying to make a decision. Finally he nodded. This nod was not to Sester, it was to someone behind him. Sester could hear the sounds of weapons clearing holsters. He had not even heard anyone come in. Sester did not look around; he knew they were pointed at him.

_I doubt if these are stun guns_, he thought.

"What are you doing?" Sester asked. His voice was calm and measured.

"You've forced our hand," said Dayto. "We can't have you asking questions we are not prepared to answer yet."

"Who is 'we'?" asked Sester.

"That is one of the questions," Dayto replied.

Sester noticed that Dayto's demeanor had changed. He was no longer pleasant.

_And you are not a fool, _thought Sester.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter Five

"What do you hope to accomplish by this?" Sester asked senior controller Dayto. One of the guards was securing the psychostrategist's wrists with a set of restraints.

Dayto ignored his question.

"Put him in one of the cells in the isolation block," Dayto instructed the guards. "Make sure no one sees him or speaks to him."

"Yes, sir," responded one of the guards. They pulled Sester to his feet and propelled him towards the door.

"You are planning a coup," said Sester. He had said this as statement, not a question. His voice was still calm and measured; it was as if he had not just been taken prisoner.

"Wait," said Dayto.

The guards stopped pushing Sester.

"What do you know?" asked Dayto.

Sester turned to face the man. "You haven't answered any of my questions, why should I answer yours?" he asked in a challenging tone.

Dayto nodded to the guards. One of them struck the butt of his rifle into Sester's stomach, causing him to double over in pain.

"Answer my question," demanded Dayto when Sester had straightened himself up.

The psychostrategist's face had not changed expression, other than for a tightening of the jaw, indicating the pain. Sester knew that if he refused again, Dayto would only have the guard hit him again. The psychostrategist was not a coward to pain, but he would prefer avoiding it if he could.

"I only know what you put in your reports," said Sester. "What else could I know? You have effectively kept all useful information from me."

_Make of that what you will_, thought Sester. _Let's see to what level you can figure it out._

Sester was in his element. He was not concerned; at least not yet. The blow to the stomach had already told him a lot about this man.

"What does the Federation know? Why did they send you here?" asked Dayto.

"You have already been told why I am here."

"The timing is too convenient for that to be the real reason," said Dayto. "Tell me the real reason why you are here or we will use more persuasive methods."

_You substitute aggression for useful questions. I am disappointed. Though I shouldn't be surprised, _thought Sester. _There are too many like you._ Sester had many cutting remarks for this man and his "persuasive methods" but he did not have a deathwish and pain really did not appeal to him if he had other options.

He thought wryly, _I suppose not everyone can be like Avon or Servalan_. Sester always missed his two playmates when he had not had any intellectual challengers in awhile.

It was obvious that Dayto was not going to believe him unless he fed his paranoia. Sester decided to ignore the demand and show this man what real intelligence can do.

"Let's not waste our time beating me up," said Sester. "We both know you will only believe what you expect to hear. So let us spare me lots of pain by agreeing with your paranoia and tell me what you want from me. I assume you want something, else you would have killed me already."

"You're too smart for your own good," replied Dayto.

"Yes, that's a common criticism," said Sester. _It's something I don't hope to get over soon_, he thought with amusement.

The relaxed, confident, and now amused, look on the psychostrategist's face made Dayto want to hit him. But he didn't, at least not yet. Sester had been right, Dayto did want something from him.

* * *

To say that the Free Trader was a busy establishment would have been an understatement. It was so crowded that Jenna and Vila had to sit perched on ridiculously high stools at the bar. Vila said that he had 'heard' that this was one of the best microbrewery's in town and had insisted on checking it out. Although how Vila had managed to 'hear' it was beyond Jenna understanding because it was the first time either one of them had visited Papos.

"Tell me why we're here again?" asked Jenna, who was not enjoying her own choice of brew. It had a nutty quality which was not to her taste. She was trying not to fall off her stool whenever someone bumped into her.

"Ouch! Watch it!" exclaimed Vila as another patron bumped into him and knocked some of the beer from his foaming mug. He would have given the offending patron a dirty look if the man had bothered to slow down and look at him; but the man kept going as if nothing had happened.

_Does everyone on this planet have to carry something hard under their clothes_, thought Vila with anger as he rubbed his sore arm. He was sure he had multiple bruises now on various parts of his body. _It must be a law or something._

Vila was determined to find out what everyone was carrying under their clothes, which was causing him so much discomfort. The next time someone accidentally bumped into him again, which he was sure would not take that long, he would take a "closer look."

"I don't think much of the manners of the people here," said Jenna as she used a napkin to mop up the beer which was dripping from the counter onto her lap. She was becoming increasingly annoyed at the lack of common courtesy. "Apologizing also seems to be in short supply on this planet," she commented. "And they have inferior quality napkins too," she remarked at the inadequate job the napkin was doing on the spilled beer.

* * *

"Corry, has psychostrategist Sester reported in?" Servalan asked her assistant.

The good looking young man, who was appearing on her vidcomm replied, "No, Madame President."

"He has missed his regular communication," said Servalan.

"Yes, Madame President."

"Has he left any messages for me?"

"No, Madame President."

"Is his observer craft still on Papos?

"Yes, Madame President."

"Don't do that Corry, it annoys me."

Corry smiled, "Sorry Madame President. I will try to find out where he is." The assistant was not there for purely decorative purposes. He had been the Federation President's able personal assistant since she resumed power and was very good at his job.

"Be careful how you do it. If he has run into trouble, we do not want to alert the wrong people. If he is trying to leave us, we don't want to alert him," Servalan directed him.

"You still don't trust him?" the assistant asked.

Servalan smiled, "Oh I trust him. Because he knows I don't trust him."

"I don't follow Ma'am."

"As long as he thinks I don't trust him, he knows that he will always be watched. And he is never certain to what extent I can control his life."

"He must hate you then." Corry knew the Federation President was never concerned about people hating her. She was only concerned if they didn't.

Servalan smiled. "He would, if he didn't enjoy the game."

"So this may be a game then?"

"Find out which it is."

"Yes, Madame President. I will check with Federation Security on Papos."

"Not on Papos," said Servalan.

"You think they can't be trusted?" the assistant asked.

"It is always wise to err on the side of caution Corry," she told him.

"Of course, Madame President. I will check with Central Security to see if they have any agents stationed near Papos."

"That will do," agreed Servalan. "There must be a backlog of reports Sester has not picked up."

"That's true, where would you like me to send them?"

"Send them to me."

"Very well Madame President."

Servalan switched off the vidcomm and sighed. There were quite a few high security reports which Sester was responsible for keeping track of. She would have to add them to the long list she had to monitor each day.

The life of the Federation President did not allow many opportunities for rest.

At the thought of rest, and her lack of it, Servalan's mind went to Avon. She wondered how he was doing and how far he had recovered. Servalan found that she missed those times they spent together in her bedroom. Beyond the passion, there was also an ease in relating with him which she did not find with anyone else. She missed his dry wit and unforgiving insights. And though others would find it hypocritical, she missed caring for him when he was so physically broken that he was barely alive.

Servalan sighed again and brought up the next report in her long list of reports.

* * *

"This is an inferior product," said Avon as he examined a supposedly clear blue crystal. He was shopping.

Avon and Cally had finished obtaining all of the items on her medical supplies list when they discovered the electronics and computer market. Since the sopron projector was still out of operation, due to the lack of parts, Avon had decided to check out what the market had in terms of supplies.

"I assure you, we only sell the best merchandise here," said the bald-headed shopkeeper.

"Either you do not know your own merchandise or you have made a serious error in judging in my abilities. Did you really think that I cannot recognize that this is no more than a sub-grade diffusing crystal?"

"My apologies," said the shopkeeper placatingly, realizing that the man standing before him was more than one of those customers who liked to believe they knew what they were talking about. The shopkeeper felt naked under Avon's cold scrutiny. He reached under the counter and brought out a beautiful shining blue crystal. Even Cally, who would not know a diffusing crystal from a reversing crystal, knew that this was definitely not an inferior product.

"I only show the good merchandise to people who know what to do with it," said the bald man.

Avon held the crystal up to the light and examined it from various angles.

"How much?" he asked.

"For you, as you are such a discerning customer. Five thousand credits."

"You obviously equate discerning customer with a delta grade fool," said Avon in a very cold and derisive voice. He put the crystal down on the counter and turned to go.

"Wait, wait! I have a better price. Four thousand credits."

"One thousand."

The man sputtered with incredulity, "That's impossible!"

"Just as impossible as getting a reasonable price out of you it seems," said Avon. His voice never lost that cold and scornful edge.

Cally recognized this tone. It was one Avon used a lot with Blake; when Blake insisted on doing something unwise in Avon's calculations. It was sarcasm as art; or in Avon's case sarcasm as a science. It was very effective on the shopkeeper. The man was no Blake. Not even a half-Blake.

"I can offer it to you for three thousand credits."

"Since your abilities are in question. I would be taking a chance buying anything from you," said Avon. Of course, the only one doing the questioning was Avon himself. But the way Avon said it, it gave the impression that the shopkeeper was in danger of being under public censure. The poor man found himself on the defensive and with a desperate need to vindicate himself in the eyes of this discerning customer.

"I can give it to you for two thousand. I can't possibly do it for less. I am barely making the overhead on that price," said the man. "That way you can take it and use it and know that my products are sound. All I ask is that you tell others that my stock is good."

"Done," said Avon before the man had a chance to think about what just happened. Avon also picked up several other items; all at ridiculously low prices because once begun, the shopkeeper could not stop. The man was very glad when they left the shop.

"Remind me not to try to sell anything to you," remarked Cally to Avon as they left the shop; with the superb diffusing crystal safely in his pocket and several boxes of various circuits and components.

"All of this shopping has made me famished," she told him. "Since we are here already, I feel like some natural food which does not come from a dispenser."

Avon did not think there was anything wrong with food which came from a dispenser. He normally was never one to be overly concerned about food except as a nuisance requirement for his physical health. But after the disgusting gruel which had been fed to him for three years at the Detention Centre, he had come to appreciate any food which was not gruel.

Avon also saw that it was something Cally wanted. Cally rarely made any demands on him, not even on the _Liberator_; and definitely not personal ones. Avon appreciated her independence; and her lack of nuisance value. He did not mind doing this for her.

"If you feel it is necessary," said Avon.

* * *

Vila had ordered another beer and was in the processed of enjoying it when yet another person bumped into him. This time Vila, master thief and deft pick-pocket, 'picked' the man's pocket.

Like all of the other people who had ignored him and kept going, this man also did not notice himself bumping into Vila; nor did he notice his jacket being relieved of a rather hard object. Vila quickly stuffed it in an inner pocket of his jacket without looking at it.

After the man passed beyond his sight, Vila discreetly looked at the item he had 'lifted'. He immediately hid it again when he saw what it was.

"Jenna," whispered Vila.

"Why are you whispering?" asked Jenna.

"I know what all those people who've been bumping into me are hiding," Vila said as he opened his jacket slightly to reveal the object to her.

Jenna was about to say that she was not aware that anyone was hiding anything, but the sight of the object stopped her.

"That's an old-style projectile weapon," exclaimed Jenna in a surprised whisper. "Where did you get that from?" Vila used his jacket to cover up the gun again.

"I 'borrowed' it from the last person who bumped into me. I've noticed most of the people who have been bumping into me are carrying a hard object under their jackets. I'm pretty sure they're all the same thing." He patted the bulge in his jacket where the gun was.

"You mean you picked someone's pocket? What if they find out it's missing?" In Jenna's experience, people who are relieved of their weapons without their knowledge, do not usually take it well.

"They'll never know it was me and besides they bump into so many people here, how would they even know where to look," pointed out Vila. "This is making me nervous. Jenna, why are so many of them carrying these?"

"Your guess is as good as mine," replied Jenna.

This was a mystery. Vila did not like mysteries which had weapons which could not only maim and kill, but could leave nasty bits of unpleasant things in a person. He had a real aversion to projectile weapons, especially after Gauda Prime. Actually Vila had an aversion to all weapons on principle.

"It might be a good idea to follow one of them," said Jenna.

Vila thought it was a terrible idea. He wanted to teleport back to the ship immediately and have more capable people follow up on this mystery with Jenna. Anyone who was not him that is.

"I would like to get to the bottom of this mystery," said Jenna.

Vila was going to ask when she started acting like Avon but stopped himself in time. He knew that Jenna still had a problem with Avon.

"Shouldn't we contact Argus first and tell him what we've found?" Vila said instead. "I've never been keen on mysteries."

_Or hazards. And potentially hazardous mysteries are definitely out, _thought Vila

"And tell him what? That you picked someone's pocket and relieved them of an old museum piece? I like to verify there is real danger before we raise any alarms."

Vila's internal alarms had been sounding loudly since finding the gun but he knew that Jenna would not accept that as confirmation.

_I know we're going to regret this_, thought Vila.


	6. Chapter 6

Wants and Needs

Chapter Six

The flight deck was quiet. Which was odd considering there were two people currently occupying it. Argus and Reya were supposed to be having a conversation. In most civilized societies, conversations usually involve at least a few words. To be fair, there had been some words at the beginning. There had been nothing since; mainly because they were now angry.

They had decided to take advantage of the time the crew had arranged for them to spend time alone. The purpose was so that they could resolve their problems. Obviously it had not worked.

"Can you give me a clue please?" asked Argus. Reya ignored him. At least she seemed to be. She was sitting on a couch in the conference area, busy reading something from a datapad.

"Look. I'm really trying. But I don't know what to do," he said. He hoped that she was only pretending to ignore him.

Argus left the pilot's station and came down to where she was sitting. He sat down beside her. His body posture reflected his uncertainty; he sat awkwardly next to her, wanting to touch her but afraid to.

"Talk to me please," he asked her when there was still no reply. A note of desperation was creeping into his voice.

Argus knew he had done something wrong. He knew that the whole situation was his fault. When he had decided to push Reya away in order to save her from himself, he had not known that he was communicating to her, that he did not trust her enough to allow her to decide for herself. He had decided for her.

Until she had mentioned it, he had not known it. When she did, he finally realized how his own self-focus had blinded him. It was a serious mistake to have even considered excluding Reya in a decision which affected her life. He had tried to take the decision away from her; something which he had once accused her of.

_I didn't like it when it was done to me. Why didn't I learn?_

Under the Investigator's influence Reya had proven how wonderful she was. He had always known that. And he had shown what a fool he was. _And I still am._

He had no idea how to fix things between them. He had tried and nothing seemed to have worked; everything he did had only seemed to make things worse. He was angry at himself for not knowing what to do; angry that he was letting Reya down.

_Damn that Investigator! Why couldn't he leave things alone? _thought Argus.

Reya was angry at herself. She had never heard such desperation in Argus's voice before; she had never intended to push him to this point. She knew he deeply regretted what he had planned to do and that he was at a loss to know what he needed to do next.

_You are so insecure about yourself in these situations. So unlike the leader that you are._

She hated herself for having done this to him; even though that had not been her intention. Reya had wanted him to learn some responsibility in their relationship. She knew he was capable of it; knew he wanted to do it. He just didn't know how.

When he was making love to her, he was considerate and sensitive; he seemed to instinctively know what she wanted and knew how to fill it. For everything else in their relationship, he was woefully inexperienced. They both were. They were so important to each other that they wanted to get it right; and being unable to caused a great deal of distress and made them angry at themselves. And that tended to lead to more mistakes.

_I need to say something or this is going to get worse,_ Reya thought. _We both made mistakes here._

"I'm sorry," she told him.

This made Argus even more confused. He had no idea why she was saying this to him when he knew everything was his fault.

_Are you saying sorry, because you're calling our relationship to an end? Because you can't stand someone who is so hopeless?_ The thought filled him with dread.

"Please don't say that," he pleaded with her. "I'll do anything; just don't say that it's over."

There was such a devastated look in his eyes that this made Reya even angrier at herself. What she just said had only seemed to make things worse. Argus was trying so hard that it made her want to cry. No one had ever loved her this much before and she was only making him miserable.

_I do not cry_, she told herself, but tears started streaming down her face.

This horrified Argus; he started to panic. Everything he said or did seemed to be the wrong thing._ I made her cry. How did I do that? Why can I not get this right? _

He reached forward to put his arms around her but stopped; he was afraid she would not want him to touch her. Argus let his arms drop. He was not a man who gave up; but he did not want to hurt her anymore.

"I'll go if you want me to," he told her in a quiet voice; thinking that was what she wanted. It hurt so much to say it, that it almost made him ill. _You are better off without me, _he thought._ You need someone who will not make you cry._

This was definitely not what Reya wanted. She desperately wanted to say something, to tell him that it was her, not him who was making it worse. But she was afraid to say anything now.

So they sat silently next to each other, miserable and alone.

* * *

"I don't think this is such a good idea," said Vila. Both he and Jenna were following a bearded, heavy-set man at a discreet distance. The man had bumped into Vila just as they were exiting the _Free Trader_.

"Starting to get nervous?" asked Jenna.

"Starting? I've been nervous since I found out what they were carrying," said Vila. He still had the heavy gun tucked inside his jacket. It seemed to be getting heavier by the minute. "I would feel better if Argus or the commander were here." _Instead of me_, thought Vila. Guns made him nervous; people with guns made him even more nervous.

"Where is your sense of adventure Vila? Besides we don't know that anything _is_ wrong. There might be a perfectly reasonable explanation for people carrying around ancient weapons. If they were really up to mischief, they would be carrying something faster and with a better range and more power than these old-style projectile weapons," said Jenna.

"You may be right," said Vila. He only sounded half convinced; he still could not shake the feelings of impending danger. "Then why are we following this man?" he asked reasonably.

"Because I need to make sure," replied Jenna.

Vila was about to reply that it was not their job but he knew that for people cursed with a sense of adventure, that was not a good enough reason to not do something. He sighed and trailed after Jenna; who was trailing after the bearded man.

* * *

Jenna woke up. It was dark. Her throat was dry and she could feel that she was seated with her back against a cold hard wall. Her wrists were secured by chains above her.

_No! Not again. This is not funny._ Jenna wondered if she was in a perpetual nightmare where she kept waking up in different cellars. She was starting to get very angry. As her eyes adjusted to the darkness, she could see that it was a completely empty room. Vila hung in similar chains next to her. He still appeared to be unconscious.

_Well, at least that's different_, she thought.

"Vila!" she called, trying to wake him up.

She received a groggy groan in reply.

"Jenna?"

Jenna could hear the clink of chains.

"Ow. What's going on? Where are we? What happened?" asked Vila in a nervous voice. Vila didn't want to ask the more interesting questions, like why and how. He didn't think he would like the answers.

Jenna wondered for a moment if she should tell him he was caught up in her bad luck. She could hear more rattling of the chains.

"Can you get us out?" she asked.

"I'm working on it," he replied. Vila was trying to reach for a tool he kept hidden for such occasions. Not that he normally expected to be locked up in cellars; but one could never guess what opportunities might come up which would require a good lock-picking tool.

Unfortunately the tool was in his shoe. Vila tried to lift his foot up far enough to reach it; and found that it was not going to be that easy. _I should take Cally up on those stretching exercises when we get back to the Justice_, he thought as he attempted to contort his body to a better position.

Despite the obstacles, no lock could hold Vila if he was scared enough. Right now he more than sufficiently scared.

The last thing Jenna remembered was following the heavy-set man with a beard and a brown jacket. The man had entered a featureless office complex and they had followed. She didn't remember anything after that.

_They must have gotten us the moment we entered the building, _thought Jenna_. He must have discovered we were following him_. _And he must have friends.

* * *

_

"Something is seriously wrong," Allren told Ture. Allren had just come back from trying to arrange discreet transport off Papos. None of the people he had contacted were able to help him even after he offered to pay double the normal price, which was normally against his principles.

"What's wrong?" asked Ture distractedly; he never turned his head away from the computer screen in front of him. He was trying to break into one of the Papos government's central information banks, just for fun and for the practice.

"No one is willing to transport us," said Allren.

"Did you offer them more credits?" asked Ture absently. He was happily routing through some sensitive material after having broken into the information bank.

"I tried that. They all say that they can't get clearance or their ships are being held for inspection," said Allren.

Ture turned to look at him and said, "That sounds odd. Do you think they've been warned against us?"

"I did a couple of loop arounds just in case I was being followed," said the Allren. "But there was no one."

"We should get out of here and find another hiding place, just in case," said Ture.

"Yeah, good idea," replied his friend.

"I'll just do a check on the Central Docking Authority to see what's going on," said Ture.

"Don't take too long," said Allren.

Ture nodded and proceeded to hack into the Docking Authority computers. Half an hour later, he said, "That's odd."

Allren didn't think he liked the sound of that.

Ture continued, "All flight clearances have been revoked. And not just the off-planet ones."

"Is it some kind of Federation thing?" asked Allren with alarm.

Ture did some more searching. "I can't tell," he told Allren. "I'm going to have to break into the Federation network here. This machine isn't powerful enough to do that and I need some specialized equipment."

"We have to get off this planet," said Allren. He was getting a very bad feeling. "Something is very wrong."

"I agree," said Ture.

They were about to exit the room when Ture asked, "Do you suppose it has something to do with that psychostrategist we saw at the security building?"

"I wouldn't be surprised," said Allren. "Otherwise, why would he be here?"

_It's definitely time to get off this planet_, thought Allren.

* * *

"Are you alright?" asked Cally with concern.

Avon and Cally were having a meal at a nice establishment on the top floor of one of the tallest commercial buildings on Papos. It had a nice view and boasted all natural ingredients. Cally had thought it a nice change to be able to see over the city, towards the mountain range nearby.

Avon had been able to chose his own food but Cally sensed that he was stressed at the myriad of unfamiliar choices. She was becoming aware that it may have been a better idea to return to the ship. Avon had looked increasingly pale as the meal progressed.

"I am tired," replied Avon. "It may be a good idea to return to the ship after our meal."

The effort to maintain a focused enough mind to block all the distractions of the sounds and the unfamiliarity of his surroundings was physically and mentally draining. As he tired, it was harder to keep the panic at bay.

"But you should finish your meal first," he told her. "It would be a shame to waste it."

Cally tried to rush through the last of the food on her plate. Avon no longer touched his.

"We may have to return to ground level to use the teleport," he told her as he looked around. "It is too crowded on this level. We would not be unobserved if we used it here."

Cally nearly choked in her effort to finish her meal.

"Take your time Cally. I can wait," said Avon.

* * *

_This is ridiculous_, thought Reya. _We are better than this._

As leaders, Argus and Reya had already achieved more successes than most people would in a lifetime of trying. To stand against either one of them in one-to-one, or even one-to-many combat would be suicidal. They were both brilliant at their jobs and the people under their commands would follow them anywhere without hesitation.

_It should not be this hard for us_, she thought._ We need to apply what we are good at to this or we will not stand a chance. _She asked herself, _What works for us? _

Her mind went back over their relationship and their interaction together. She needed something which would break them out of this self-destructive spiral they found themselves in.

"Don't be silly," she said finally. There was a lightness in her tone.

"What?"

"Where would you go? This is your ship. If anyone were to leave, it would be me. But I don't think I will," she told him. She sounded almost mischievous. It was totally incongruous to their current situation. Argus was confused.

"Don't look so surprised," she said.

"I am not surprised, I'm confused," he said to her.

"It looks the same. Your surprised face and your confused one."

"You're mocking me now," he said as he realized what she was trying to do.

"Yes."

"You're not mad at me anymore?" he asked with hope in his voice.

"I was never angry with you," she told him.

He had a confused and/or surprised look on his face again.

"I was angry at myself," she explained.

This did not help his comprehension.

"You were not angry with me?" he asked. He was still very confused.

"No. I should have told you. But everything I said just seemed to make things worse so I stopped."

"But you were crying."

"Yes. Because you're so wonderful." She reached out and touched his cheek.

"I still don't understand." He took her hand and gently pulled her towards him; afraid that at any second that she would pull away. When their bodies touched, it almost took his breath away. He held her lightly in his arms.

She said, "When you told me what you had planned to do, I wasn't happy. But I wasn't angry. I realized that our relationship needed work. I wanted us to get better at communicating."

"I didn't do a very good job at it," he said wryly.

"Yes. You are very bad at it," she agreed with a smile. "But so am I. At this kind of thing, I think we're both very bad at it. If Borel was here, he'd be telling us what idiots we are."

"Probably," he agreed. "Can I kiss you?"

"I don't know. Have you forgotten how?"

He needed no further encouragement.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter Seven

Argus and Reya were still in each other's arms on the flight deck, but somewhat seated on the couch now.

"One of these days, I've got to figure out how you do it," said Argus as he broke off their kiss.

"Do what?"

"Get my jacket and shirt off so fast that I don't even notice it."

Reya smiled as she enjoyed the feel of his bare chest under her hands. "Your attentions are usually elsewhere."

"I wish one of them would come back soon," Argus said, referring to the crew who were still on Papos. He took a deep breath and let it out slowly as she continued to caress him. "We had better stop. We've already let it go too far."

The flight deck was not the place for any further physical intimacy; even if they were alone. They were both too professional to allow that to happen.

"You're right," said Reya. She sighed and removed her hands from his chest.

Argus picked up his shirt from where Reya had dropped it.

"I like you with your shirt off," she said teasingly as she watched him.

"I _know_ you do," he replied as he put the shirt back on. When he was fully dressed again, he pulled her to him.

"I thought we agreed we should stop," she told him.

"We should," he said. "I just want to hold you for awhile."

"You know that's going to drive me crazy."

"I know," he said with a mischievous smile on his lips.

"You're very bad," she told him.

"Aren't I?"

They both smiled.

Urgent Zen spoke up. Normally the ship's computer had a tired quality, but not this time. The "urgent" had an urgent quality to it.

"What is it Zen?" asked Argus immediately, as he let go of Reya and walked over to the visual interface.

An enhanced electromagnetic pulse wave is approaching from the planet Papos reported Zen. "There is a high probability that it will damage the systems on this ship."

"Zen, get us out of here," directed Argus. "Maximum speed." Argus may not have known what to do in his relationship with Reya, but he certainly knew what to do when there was danger. He became calm and controlled. His mind immediately jumped into overdrive.

Confirmed.

They could both feel the energy build up as the ship immediately shifted from an orbital position into a powered course away from the planet. On the visual display, they could see the planet receding.

Speed is currently standard by twelve.

"Zen, at maximum speed, will we be able to outrun the pulse wave?"

"At the current speed, the _Justice_ will be overtaken by the pulse wave in eighteen seconds."

"We need more power," said Argus thinking aloud. "Zen, route all available power systems, except emergency ones, to the hyperdrive engines."

Confirmed.

Reya kept silent. Her senses were also on high alert and her mind was sharp. She knew Argus's capabilities and she trusted in his instincts. He knew the ship, she didn't. She would not say anything unless she had something to contribute.

The engines, which they normally did not hear, began to strain.

Speed is currently at standard by fourteen.

"Zen, will we able to outrun the pulse wave now?"

At present speed, the pulse wave will reach the Justice in one minute forty-two seconds.

Argus crossed over to ORAC's position and slipped the activation key into the slot.

"ORAC, are you aware of the situation with the EMP wave?"

I have been monitoring replied ORAC.

"Any suggestions?"

There is nothing which can be done. You have already achieved the maximum speed which this ship is capable of.

"This is not helpful ORAC. Will it make a difference if we shut off all power when the wave hits?"

Doubtful.

"But you don't know for certain."

No

"If we shut off all the systems on the ship and assuming the engines are still operable after the wave hits, can we restart them?"

"A manual restart is possible. But the probability that shutting off…"

"I don't want to hear the odds ORAC. I want a hard copy printout of the instructions immediately. Then start doing a printout on all parts on the ship which will need to be replaced and instructions starting with the most critical ones."

Very well. The requested instructions are being printed.

"Zen, how long before the wave hits?"

The pulse wave will reach the Justice in fifty seconds.

"How long for a full shut down of all ship's systems?"

A controlled shutdown of all ship's systems will require fifteen minutes.

"I don't want a controlled shutdown. Is there an emergency shutdown?"

There is a manual emergency shutdown switch in the engine room.

Argus looked towards Reya briefly. She nodded. No words were needed between them. Argus ran up the steps and raced towards the engine room.

While Argus was gone, Reya crossed over to ORAC.

"ORAC, once the power cuts out, how long can we survive without a functional life support system?"

This was the first time Reya had used ORAC. She wasn't sure if the computer unit would answer her question. She knew that Zen would not; since her voice pattern had never been added to the authorized command list.

Since this was a logical question, ORAC responded.

You are Commander Reve?

"Yes ORAC."

"Very well Commander. There will be sufficient oxygen remaining to sustain two humans for four hours, ten minutes and thirty-eight seconds."

"Thank you ORAC."

At that moment the ship was plunged into darkness as all power shut off.

* * *

At the roof-top restaurant on Papos, Avon and Cally were in a line-up waiting for the lift. They needed to go back down to the ground level in order to find a quiet area so they could teleport back up to the ship. The wait area was crowded and noisy and Cally debated whether they should risk using the teleport because Avon did not look good.

Avon was fighting to maintain control but it was a losing battle. The panic was threatening to overwhelm him.

"Is your mate alright?" a dark-skinned woman in a neon hat in the line ahead of them asked.

Avon was too preoccupied with his own struggles to be able to pay attention to anything other than the approach of the lift.

The question puzzled Cally until she realized that the woman was mistaking Avon for her bond-mate.

"We are not bonded," explained Cally. _I don't know what we are_, thought Cally.

"My mistake," said the woman. "He looks ill."

"Yes, that is why we are trying to return to our residence," said Cally.

The woman looked at Avon again. He was perspiring and his eyes did not appear to be focused on what was in front of him.

The woman said loudly to everyone in the line, "This man is ill, let's let them go down first."

To Cally's surprise, all of the people in the line nodded or waved them forward.

The lift came and Cally and Avon entered with a crowd of others. As the doors were about to close, Cally nodded in acknowledgement to the people in the line who had been so generous.

"Hang on Avon," Cally whispered. She took his arm in order to steady him. The lift descended swiftly. It would not take long.

Somewhere between the tenth and eleventh floors, all of the power went out. The lift stopped and they were plunged into darkness. Avon screamed in pain and collapsed.

* * *

"You will help us against the Federation," Dayto told Sester.

"You must already have your own plan," said Sester.

"That's true. For the coup," said Dayto. "But you will apply your skills in developing a strategy which will anticipate what the Federation's response will be once we move into action. You will make it so that they will find it more beneficial to leave us alone."

Sester was still seated in senior controller Dayto's office. Two armed guards stood near the door. He was getting very tired of this man's constant demands and threats.

The restraints on Sester's wrists were uncomfortable and were cutting off circulation. He suspected that the guards had deliberately put them on too tight.

"You do realize that if the Federation considers you more trouble than you are worth, they will destroy this planet?" asked Sester.

"You will stop that from happening," said Dayto.

Sester responded by saying, "When you found out that a psychostrategist was coming, you thought that you would avail yourself of my skills," identified Sester. "That means you planned to detain me even before I got here."

Dayto had a very unpleasant look on his face. He did not like Sester; did not like that he was too smart. But it was this genius which they were planning to use. Everything for the coup had been prepared but they had not acted yet because they did not know what the Federation response would be.

The knowledge from Sester had confirmed some of the fears from other members of Dayto's group. Dayto did not like it, but it appeared that they could not move yet. At least not until Sester could come up with a strategy for them. That meant convincing the psychostrategist to help them.

Dayto had no problems with employing more expedient methods of persuasion. Sester was one of the enemy. He would just be the first of many enemy casualties.

Sester smiled. The man was pitifully easy to read.

The room was plunged into darkness.

* * *

"Thank you," Jenna said to Vila as he unlocked the last manacle from her wrist.

"It was nothing," said Vila.

"Shall we get out of here?" asked Jenna as she rubbed her sore wrist where the cuff had left an abrasion.

"I thought you would never ask," said Vila.

"They took our teleport bracelets. We will have to find them," said Jenna. "Can you get the door open?"

They went to the door and listened for noises.

"I don't hear anything," said Vila as he bent down to examine the lock. "This one is easy," he said as he began working on the door. "I don't know why they even bother with these kinds of locks."

"Not everyone has your skills Vila," said Jenna.

Vila looked up at his companion. Being praised was such a rare thing for him that he always appreciated it. "That's true," he said. He went back to work on the lock again. Within a few seconds, it was open.

The next room was also dark and seemed to be deserted. The only light came from the windows. It was a small office; other than the empty room they had been in, there was only the outer room which was arranged like an office.

They immediately spotted the teleport bracelets which lay among a pile of items on the desk near one of the windows.

Vila and Jenna went to get the bracelets. They were stopped by the sight of a body behind the desk.

"That's the man we were following," exclaimed Vila. "Why would someone kill him and leave us alive?"

"I don't know," replied Jenna. _We need to find out, _thought Jenna. This was no longer just about being knocked out and chained up by persons unknown. These unknown people were proving to be both mysterious and dangerous.

Jenna bent down to examine the man. She could not tell how he had been killed. A search revealed nothing.

"His pockets are empty," said Jenna.

"Let's get out of here, Jenna," said Vila.

"You may be right, Vila. I would like to be better armed and have backup before we go any further."

That had not been what Vila was thinking of. This mystery was already getting too dangerous for him when they were back at the bar.

Vila tapped on his teleport bracelet. "Argus. This is Jenna and Vila. We're ready to come up now."

There was no response.

He repeated, "Argus. This is Jenna and Vila. We're ready for teleport."

Still no response. Vila's nervousness increased.

Jenna tapped on her bracelet, "Argus. This is Jenna. Respond."

There was silence.

"Jenna, I've never known Argus not to be ready."

"Yes," said Jenna thoughtfully. She examined her bracelet. "I don't think our teleport bracelets are working," she told Vila.

"You mean someone disabled them when they took them from us?"

"Most likely. We have to find a way to contact the ship," she said. "We need to get access to some communications equipment."

"I don't like this," said Vila.

"I don't either Vila," agreed Jenna. They headed towards the door. Vila stopped suddenly and walked back towards one of the windows.

"What's wrong Vila," asked Jenna from the door.

"Jenna, come here," Vila waved her over.

Jenna come over to stand by the window and looked out. The entire city was dark.

* * *

Servalan flipped to the next report on her vidscreen and yawned. The coffee she had been drinking did not appear to be helping. The Federation President finally had time to go through the classified reports Sester was responsible for. She was skimming through them quickly and only reading the most important or urgent ones. The display was set on a slow automatic scroll.

The Federation President hit the button which stopped the scrolling. She leaned forward to read the report more carefully.

She activated the vidcomm button. Her assistant appeared on the screen.

She asked, "Corry did you contact Central Security and find out if they had an agent near Papos?"

Corry replied, "I have already contacted Controller Tarvin, Madame President. He said that they have two agents on Papos. He has instructed them to look for psychostrategist Sester."

"I want to speak to Tarvin first thing tomorrow morning. Arrange it for me," commanded Servalan.

"Yes, Ma'am."

Servalan closed the connection and read over the report again. It gave a list of tracer locations. Tracer ADA-7854 was reported to be transmitting from Papos. That was Drel Argus's tracer identifier.

_What are you doing on Papos Avon?_ thought Servalan. She wondered if it was a coincidence that Avon and Sester were on Papos together. The Federation President did not believe in convenient coincidences.


	8. Chapter 8

Wants and Needs

Chapter Eight

The lift was completely dark; it was not completely silent. Everyone was trying to talk at once and the tension level was rising.

"Someone hit the emergency call button," a woman with a cultured voice said.

"I can't see it," a man by the emergency panel said.

"Isn't there supposed to be emergency lighting?" a man with a scratchy voice asked.

"I hate lifts." This voice came from an irritated sounding woman.

"Who screamed?" said the cultured voice.

"What if we get stuck in here?" a nervous young man's voice said.

"Don't be silly. They have procedures for things like this," said an older sounding woman.

"I think it's the man who was sick," answered the scratchy voice.

"Someone will get us out," the older woman said confidently.

"I really hate lifts," the irritated woman stressed. No one could mistake that she liked lifts by now.

"Is he okay?" asked the cultured voice.

Cally was not paying attention to any of these conversations as they were happening. She was more concerned with Avon who had screamed and was now collapsed against her. She was trying to hold him upright. The lift had been too crowded for him to fall to the floor.

"Avon."

There was no response.

She shook him gently. "Avon."

Avon groaned. "What happened? Why is it dark?" he asked. His knee was in great pain; much more than normal.

"Are you alright?" she asked.

"My knee. Something is wrong with it."

"Is that the knee you will not allow me to examine?"

There was a pause.

"Yes."

"Are you going to tell me now?"

"Later. When we return to the _Justice_."

"I can't help you if you do not tell me."

"You would not be able to help even if I told you."

Cally did not understand why Avon did not think she could help with his injured knee.

_There must be something else_, she thought.

"Can you stand on it?"

Cally could feel Avon shift his weight and then a stifled groan. He leaned against her again.

"It appears not," said Avon.

"I pressed the emergency button but nothing's happening," the person by the emergency panel said. "The comm doesn't seem to be working either."

"The management is going to hear about this," said the irritated woman.

"Let me take a look," said Avon in his normal impassive voice.

Cally whispered in his ear, "Are you going to be alright? You were having problems before."

"Yes, Cally. High stress situations appear to focus concentration quite nicely," replied Avon also in a whisper. It also increased adrenaline production, giving him a shot of renewed energy.

Cally helped Avon over to the panel while the others tried to shift out of his way.

Once there, Avon removed a tool he normally kept hidden on his person. Like Vila, he was also prepared for opportunities, though not the same ones. He removed the panel and examined the inner workings by touch. The opened panel had released a smell he recognized. He did not hold high hopes of being able to fix the lift from here.

"There is nothing I can do," said Avon. "All of the components have received a circuit overload. The parts would have to be replaced."

"What about the equipment you bought? Can you use the parts from there?" asked Cally.

Avon always appreciated Cally's ability to think further than most people.

"I have already considered that," said Avon. "I would only be able to replace _some_ of the damaged circuits. Not enough to fix the problem. Unfortunately there is also a larger concern. There is no power. The alert signal, emergency lighting and communications run on an independent power source and are entirely separated from the main system. But they have failed as well."

"What is the chance of that?" asked cultured voice. "For both the main and the backup to fail like that?"

"High enough for it to have happened to us," answered Avon.

"They must know we're stuck by now," said the older woman. "They're probably trying to fix the problem now."

Avon said, "If it is a power failure in this section of the building, then the building sensors would have informed them of the problem. If it is a general power failure, they will have larger concerns and may not consider us a priority."

"I don't want to be stuck here," said the young man in a very nervous voice. "I have a problem with small enclosed spaces. There's a name for it. I forget what it is."

Avon thought that he sounded a lot like a younger version of Vila.

"Isn't there something you can do?" the irritated-sounding woman asked in Avon's direction.

Cally noticed that Avon had automatically taken on role of someone everyone else depended on.

_It was like that on the Liberator and the Scorpio too_, thought Cally. _You liked people looking to you as the expert but you never wanted the responsibility of leadership._

"There are two options. There is a manual door release," said Avon. "If we are fortunate enough to have stopped on a floor. If not, there should be a maintenance hatch just above us."

They all looked up in the darkness towards the hatch above them; not that they could see it.

"I don't know why they put those things way up there. How is anyone supposed to reach them?" This new voice was male and sounded as irritated as the other woman.

Avon felt for the manual door release on the lift door and found it just a little above his head. He set to work on it with one of his tools.

* * *

In a typical display of tech logic, Ture whacked the small square computer unit on the desk with his fist. The screen in front of him stayed dead and he only managed to hurt his hand. The computer unit had flashed and gone dead while he was three deep into the security protocols of one of the Federation's main computer networks. He was nearly singed by the sparks.

This was not a welcome happening. It meant that he would have to start over again once he got the computer working again. He checked the optical leads and pressed the reset button on the unit. It was dead.

"I don't think you'll get it working," said Allren, who had been looking out the window. He was amazed that his friend had not noticed that the room had suddenly gone dark and they were only managing by the dim light coming in from the window.

Allren was always astounded that his friend could be so focused on the computer stuff that he barely noticed anything else. _Not even being plunged into total darkness_, thought Allren with amusement.

"Why?" asked Ture. He turned around to face Allren and finally noticed that the lights were out. "Why is it so dark in here?"

"Now you notice," said Allren. "I think you're computer not working is the least of our problems."

"Is the power out?"

"Yes. It appears it's out everywhere."

"The whole city?"

"Yes."

"The emergency systems should kick in soon," said Ture.

"It is odd that it's out everywhere," said Allren. "I thought that they're supposed to have dedicated power grids so that things like this will only affect one area."

"Maybe Papos isn't as up on Federation utility standards yet. They are new."

"Maybe."

* * *

"The entire power grid seems to have been affected," said Jenna as she and Vila made their way through the darkened avenues to the nearest communications complex.

"I don't like the dark," said Vila. "It's too dark."

"There is something even odder," said Jenna. "It's completely dark."

"Well, it would be if the power is out," said Vila.

"There isn't even any emergency lighting."

"Maybe they don't have any."

"That's not likely," said Jenna. "But even if it were, some people must have personal power sources, even if they're only hand torches. But there's nothing. It's like something disabled all the power. In everything."

"If you're trying to scare me, Jenna. You've succeeded," said Vila. "Lets get to that communication centre so we can contact Argus."

"It won't do any good now," said Jenna. "There isn't any power. No one has any power."

"Then what do we do?" said Vila. His voice had raised in pitch.

"We have to find Avon. He may have some ideas," said Jenna. Jenna would have preferred not to ask Avon for anything; but she knew he may be their only chance.

"Yes. That's a good idea," said Vila. His face brightened. "Avon will know what to do."

"Assuming he and Cally haven't gone back to the ship yet," said Jenna.

The expression on Vila's face dropped.

There was a loud sharp crack, followed by several others in a random jumble.

Vila said, "What was that? That sounded like a…"

"It's a projectile weapon," said Jenna.

"You mean…"

"Yes, like the one you stole," said Jenna.

"Borrowed," Vila corrected out of habit.

"I think we've landed in the middle of a take over of some kind. Someone planned all this with the power and the weapons."

"I don't understand. What does one have to do with the other?" Vila asked. "Why would anyone use these kinds of weapons for a real take over? Wouldn't energy weapons be better?"

"I'm not sure. But it's too much of a coincidence," said Jenna.

"Let's find Avon and Cally so we can get out of here," said Vila.

"Good idea," said Jenna.

_Finally_, thought Vila.

"You might want to keep that gun handy," said Jenna.

Vila reached into his inner pocket, took out the gun and gave it to her.

"It's handier with you," he explained.

Jenna grinned as she took it from him, "You never did like weapons, did you, Vila. Cally and Avon are supposed to be looking for medical supplies. I think I spotted some in the avenue we first came down on. Lets try there."

* * *

When the lights went out in senior controller Dayto's office, it went completely dark and stayed dark. There were no windows in this room. Dayto was highly paranoid and did not like the exposure windows would provide.

Sester stayed in his seat, waiting for the emergency lights to kick in or for the others to do whatever people normally did in order to restore some lighting.

"Damn. Nothing's working." Sester could hear Dayto saying. There were sounds of movements from Dayto and from where the guards were standing by the door.

"One of you, get some torches." Dayto directed the guards.

After a few moments, one of them said, "The door isn't working sir."

"There should be a manual release," said the other guard.

Sester could hear some sounds and then sounds of the door opening slowly.

It appeared to be pitch dark outside as well. Sester could hear one of the guards leaving the room. He knew the supplies area was several corridors away. In the dark, it would take awhile for the guard to find a torch and come back.

The psychostrategist made an instant assessment of his situation. He got up from his seat silently and moved to the wall between two corners of the room. In his mind, he had a good layout of the room.

"Check the prisoner," commanded Dayto.

_You should have thought of that before,_ thought Sester_. Now the fun begins_.

Sester knew there was one guard and Dayto in the room. Dayto had spoken so he knew where the controller was approximately. Sester could hear the one remaining guard approaching the chair from the doorway. Sester waited.

The guard banged into the chair. "He's gone sir!"

"He's headed for the door!" said Dayto. "Quick! Intercept him!"

_Logical assumption_, thought Sester. But the psychostrategist was after more than just a quick exit.

Sester could hear the guard running back towards the door and bang into something. "Ow."

"Did you get him?" asked Dayto. His voice was now by Sester's chair.

"No sir, I just hit the side of the door."

_Clumsy and not very good spatial perception_, thought Sester as he walked towards Dayto's desk, keeping near the wall.

"He must have been waiting right by the door. Go after him." The controller's voice was still by Sester's chair.

Sester heard the guard leave the room.

_Lateral thinkers. They have such little imagination_, thought Sester as he picked up the keys for his restraints from the top of Dayto's desk. He could hear Dayto moving back towards his desk. Sester kept well away from him as he silently left the room, holding the keys.


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter Nine

After a few minutes of complete darkness, there was now a faint glow coming from strips embedded along the walls, near the ceiling. Reya had never noticed them before.

_It must not be a normal energy lighting system_, thought Reya. _Perhaps chemically based?_

Argus had not come back to the flight deck yet. She checked out the various ship's systems. Everything else appeared dead, even ORAC.

Four hours, ten minutes and thirty-eight seconds. This had been what ORAC had said about the oxygen supply before all the power went off.

_Just under four hours now_, thought Reya.

She went over to where the reams of printouts had spilled onto the floor. These were the hardcopy instructions Argus had directed ORAC to print out, which would restore the ship's systems. Reya took a look at them.

_Engines, computer systems, life-support_. It was only a partial listing. _Not good._

The power had cutout before the printouts had completed.

_This is interesting_, thought Reya. The computer systems seemed to only require minimal repairs and replacements. From her limited knowledge of EMP waves, the integrated circuits of computers would be among the ones most affected.

_It doesn't use integrated circuits? I wonder what it does use. _She knew that this was an alien ship, she had not realized how alien. The printouts did not provide a clue, it only gave instructions and diagrams on the areas needing fixing.

_There is no point staying on the flight deck with nothing working. Argus will probably work on the engines. I'll start on the computer systems_, thought Reya. _That way Zen can probably give us whatever instructions are missing. We need the sensors and weapons. We're blind and defenseless without them. And I hope ORAC took into account our limited technical knowledge in these printouts._

She hoped that they had enough time to fix enough so they could get the life-support systems working before the oxygen ran out.

Reya took the engine and computer instructions with her and headed towards the engine room. Once she reached the engine room, she saw Argus collapsed on the ground.

* * *

Jenna and Vila had been searching for Avon and Cally for the past hour. They met up again at the point where they had first teleported down. Both of them were frustrated.

"Anything?" asked Jenna.

"Some of the shopkeepers said they saw someone who looked like them but didn't know where they went after that," said Vila.

"I think they may have teleported back to the ship," said Jenna.

"Then we're stuck down here."

They had been hearing random sounds of gunfire the entire time they had been searching. The sounds seemed to be increasing in frequency.

"They may already know what is happening down here," said Jenna.

"Yes, Avon is probably trying to figure out a way to contact us." This idea made Vila feel somewhat better; but not enough to shake off his fear at the dangerous and uncertain circumstances they found themselves in.

"We should stay here near the original teleport coordinates," said Jenna. "It's a secluded enough place."

Vila thought that hiding was an excellent idea. The shots were getting too close for comfort.

* * *

"Why couldn't you eat at normal times like other people?" said Allren in an irritated tone.

"I don't feel hungry then," replied Ture.

"There's a difference between feeling hungry and starving to death," said Allren.

"You're exaggerating," said Ture.

Allren rolled his eyes. "And whose fault is it that we have to find you some food now when the power is out in the whole city, the security forces are out in full force and who knows what that gunfire is about. We should be hiding somewhere until this all blows over; not looking for food for you."

The two tech mercenaries were currently walking along the main commercial avenue, trying to look for an establishment that would sell them food. When Ture was in front of the computer, he had a tendency to forget to eat. When hunger finally intruded into his consciousness, he was usually so hungry that the continued lack of food would cause him to feel light-headed and dizzy.

"I'm sorry," said Ture. He knew that they were taking a risk being out on the streets with the security forces looking for them. Though he doubted if security had enough time to look specifically for them right now.

_There is something strange going on_, Ture thought. He knew that Allren would have preferred to lie low until it was safe to leave but he wanted to get to the bottom of what was going on. He didn't like unsolved mysteries.

"Another patrol," groaned Allren. Federation patrols were out in full force to keep order during the black-out. Another patrol had just stepped onto the commercial avenue at the far end of the street.

They both tried to look like they belonged there, along with all of the other people milling around, without anything better to do.

"There's an alcove there. We can hide until the patrol passes." Ture pointed to a secluded alcove just off the main avenue.

* * *

Avon heard a click as the lift's manual door release slipped into position. He leaned back against the inactive panel; the pain from his knee was becoming unbearable.

"The door is released," he told the people in the lift. There was no indication in his voice of the difficulties he was having. "We need people to open the door. I can't."

"I'll do it."

"Can you move over?"

Various people responded. Avon could feel people shifting around him. There were sounds of human effort and then solid sounds of metal against metal as the lift doors slowly opened.

Cally asked, "How are you doing Avon?" She was becoming increasingly concerned.

"I will be fine once we get back on the ship," Avon replied. His voice still indicated nothing; but at the edge of her consciousness, Cally was dimly aware of his pain.

"I can't see. Did we do it?," asked the nervous young man. "Did we get lucky?"

"Half lucky," said the man who had been by the lift panel before.

"And what does that mean?" asked the irritated sounding woman.

"Can you see anything?" the old woman asked.

There was faint light coming into the lift now from the opened doors. Their eyes began to adjust.

The man by the lift panel explained, "We do appear to be on one of the floors. Stuck halfway. Not the easy half. I'll get up on the floor first and I'll help anyone who needs it."

The lift was all activity now as everyone prepared to leave their enclosed prison.

Cally spoke out, "My friend is going to need help. I don't think he can move right now."

"We'll help him." Someone said. There were several sounds of agreement from the others. One by one the people left the elevator, pulled up by the first man.

"We'll get your friend out now," said the irritated sounding man, who sounded less irritated now. There were now only four of them left on the lift; Avon, Cally, the irritated sounding man and the young man who no longer sounded nervous.

"Be careful of his right knee please," instructed Cally as they all lifted Avon up towards the waiting hands reaching down from the floor. "It is injured."

"Don't worry," said the young man.

As the others were being helpful, Avon reflected on how much he hated being helped. It reinforced his feelings of vulnerability and inability to control his own life. He knew that he was expected to feel gratitude. It was the normal human reaction to receiving aid. But he did not feel grateful for being reminded how helpless he was.

_Even after all the progress, I still have to be carried out_, thought Avon.

Avon did not want to be helped. But he knew that it did not mean that he did not need to be helped. He was a realist. Avon tried to not make a sound even as the other's efforts caused more pain. By the time they got him up onto the floor, he was panting from the effort to control the pain.

He could see that the entire floor was dark except for the dim light streaming in from various windows.

_So there is a power outage_, he thought. People were either milling around or rushing about. They all appeared lost and uncertain. Some of the people from the lift had already wandered off in order find out what was going on.

_No emergency lighting here either_. Avon had suspected this after what happened in the elevator. _This is more than a simple power loss, _he thought.

"I'll go find some help for your friend," said the young man as Cally bent down to examine Avon. Now that he was no longer trapped in the lift, the young man was no longer nervous. He seemed eager to help.

"There is no need," said Cally. "Can you help me get him into a quieter room? I don't want to leave him here in the corridor."

The people who had helped Avon out of the lift now helped put him in one of the smaller empty office rooms and laid him on a table.

"My friend and I thank you for all your help," said Cally. "You do not need to stay with us. We will stay here until the power systems are restored."

After additional assurances from Cally that it was fine to leave them alone, the others left.

Cally lifted her teleport bracelet up in preparation to use it.

She paused and then said to Avon, "You could have used the teleport to leave anytime in the lift. Why didn't you suggest it?"

"It did not occur to me," said Avon.

"I do not believe you, Avon. You would not make such a simple mistake, unless you wanted to."

"You knew we could leave as well. Why didn't you?" he challenged.

"You already know why I didn't."

"Yes. You're over-developed sense of compassion and misplaced loyalty for people you barely knew."

"You still have not answered my question."

"I knew you would not leave until the others were safe. I could not leave you," he told her. And just in case she misunderstood his intentions, he added, "You are the only one who knows how to produce the drugs I require."

"That is the only reason?"

"Do not expect anything less logical Cally. You would be disappointed."

_I do not believe you Avon_, thought Cally. _You did not do this for logical reasons._

But she realized that he had not reached the point where he would answer her truthfully.

"Don't worry, your reputation is safe," Cally said with a hint of irony in her voice. Before Avon could come back with a much more ironic retort, she tapped on her teleport bracelet and said, "Argus. Avon and I are ready for teleport."

They both waited for a response which never came.

None of the crew on the planet were aware of the problems Argus and Reya were now experiencing on the _Justice_. And none of them knew that things were about to get much worse.


	10. Chapter 10

Wants and Needs

Chapter Ten

"Ture!"

"Jenna!"

"Allren!"

"Vila!"

"What are you doing here?!"

"I could ask you the same question."

There were various cries of shock from several very astonished people.

"Do you mind if we join you? We're hiding from the Federation patrol," asked Allren.

"Quick. Get in. Did you two get yourselves into trouble again?" asked Jenna as Ture and Allren joined them in the now crowded alcove.

"It wasn't me. It was him," said Allren, jerking his thumb in Ture's direction.

Ture shrugged and asked, "Is Cally here?"

"She's somewhere," said Vila. "We're not exactly sure where. We've been looking for them."

Jenna said, "What Vila is trying to say is that Avon and Cally…"

The mention of Avon's name provoked an immediate response. "Avon?? He's here? On Papos?" The look on Ture's face was one of surprise and something bordering on awe.

Vila mumbled to himself, "Great. Just what we need. Another person who thinks Avon is wonderful."

_Why couldn't we find someone who thinks that I'm wonderful for a change_, thought Vila.

Jenna continued to explain, "Yes. He and Cally came down for some medical supplies. We're not sure if they've gone back to the ship. Vila and I have been looking for them."

"Do you know what's going on here?" asked Allren.

The two groups shared information quietly as the Federation patrol rushed past them and continued down the avenue.

* * *

"I think you may be right, Jenna. We seem to have landed in the middle of a takeover," said Allren.

"They used an EMP wave of some kind," said Ture. He sounded very sure.

"What's an EMP wave?" asked Vila.

"It's a high-intensity electromagnetic pulse wave which produces power surges which damages virtually all circuit based technology," replied Ture.

"Which is just about everything these days," added Allren.

"It sounds like whoever is the cause of this pulse is the same people who are using these," said Jenna holding up the projectile weapon.

As if on cue, numerous projectile weapon-like sounds began filling the night air from all directions around them.

* * *

Psychostrategist Sester was making his way carefully down the corridor on the ground level of the main Federation Security building. He was trying to escape before any of Dayto's men found him. This corridor had a window view so it was no longer pitch black but it was still dark. Sester had not failed to notice that the entire city seemed to have lost all power and that none of the emergency systems appeared to be working.

_This was no accident. The only way this could have happened is if it was deliberately planned_, thought Sester. He knew that it could not have been caused by Dayto or any of his group. The man had been as surprised as Sester had been by being plunged into darkness.

Sester wondered how far the power loss extended.

_We never know how dependent we are on technology until we lose it_, he thought. Sester was still breathless from having had to use the stairs; Dayto's office had been on the top floor of a twenty-storey building.

He had to risk the corridors, it was the only way to leave the building; but so far no one seemed to be paying any attention to him. They all had other concerns. Another group rushed past him; Sester flattened himself against the wall in order to get out of their way.

With the comms out, Sester guessed that Dayto would not be able to send out a wide alert to have him apprehended. That did not mean that he didn't have some people looking for him. He would still have to be careful and draw as little attention to himself as possible.

Sester wondered how many people in the building were part of Dayto's group and how many were still loyal to the Federation. He couldn't risk trying to find out.

He still did not know who had knocked out all of the power and even the emergency systems. This was an unknown third force he had no information about.

_It is too dangerous to trusting anyone in this city. I need a way to contact Servalan. She must have already sent someone after me when I missed my regular contact. I have to find a way to connect with them._

Sester knew she would have sent someone after him.

_Are you thinking that I am trying to escape you?_ he wondered. Despite the inconvenience of being monitored, Sester did not have a burning need to leave Servalan's service yet. He still enjoyed the challenge and danger of working for her; and did not want to lose his role and privileges as a psychostrategist. Servalan was intelligent enough to give him enough freedom and privileges that he would not feel the need to leave.

Sester was confident that he could escape her, if and when he chose; when the game was no longer amusing enough to keep him with her. Unlike Servalan's relationship with Avon, the issue of freedom was not a barrier between them.

The exit Sester was aiming for was close. He could see it.

A mass of people came rushing in through the wide doorway. They were carrying guns of a type Sester was unfamiliar with and attached to them were lights.

_These must be the unknown third force, _thought Sester.

The newcomers started rounding up people, shooting those who refused to obey. A fight broke out as the Federation forces in the building realized that they were being invaded. It was an uneven fight. None of the Federation energy weapons were working.

Sester started backing up the way he came but one of the lights shone directly at him. The psychostrategist stopped and raise his hands in surrender. He saw what happened to those who resisted. There were no second chances with this group.

* * *

Avon was sitting up on the table and examining his inoperative teleport bracelet when Cally came back in.

"The power appears to be out over the entire city," she told him. "No one knows what is happening. Some people are starting to panic."

"That is a normal human reaction to the unknown," said Avon. He snapped the bracelet back onto his wrist. "Not a very useful reaction."

"Don't tell me that you are not concerned," said Cally.

"Concerned, yes. I reserve my panic for when I know there is something to be afraid of," he told her. "Assuming my mind is still cooperating that is," he added wryly.

"It sounds as if it is working," said Cally, noticing that Avon's normal cynicism was more than functional.

"It may not be much longer if we do not get me back to the ship," said Avon. "Unless you brought the drugs I need with you."

"No." This was a topic Cally had been waiting to bring up.

"Maybe Argus should add that to his list of equipment we must carry whenever we leave the ship," said Avon.

"Since your mind is still working, can you apply it to our situation instead?"

Avon gave her a brief cynical smile.

"I have already. There is only one thing I know of which can do this particular type of damage. It is an enhanced EMP wave. Someone is trying to disable all technology-based systems in this city. I suspect that it is not confined to this city."

"You mean that someone is trying to sabotage the entire city? That sounds like someone is attempting a takeover."

"Yes. This also means that someone will have equipment which was shielded from the EMP wave. Otherwise there is no point in attempting a takeover. We need to find those people. They should have communications equipment we can use to contact the _Justice_."

"How do we find them? We do not know who they are," said Cally.

"That should be simple. Follow the lights. Whoever has a source of light is most likely one of the people trying to take over the city."

"I have not noticed any lights," said Cally.

"There will be," replied Avon with certainty. "We need to get back to the ground level."

"Can you manage with your knee?"

"We don't have a choice."

Cally helped Avon down from the table and with him leaning against her, they headed for the emergency stairwell.

* * *

Reya dropped the hardcopy instructions she was carrying and rushed over to where Argus lay collapsed on the ground. She knelt down and felt for his pulse; it was strong. Reya let out a sigh of relief.

She began feeling his body for signs of injury. Argus groaned and tried to move.

"Argus. Are you alright? What happened?"

"Reya? I was going to ask you the same thing. Are you alright?"

"I'm fine. What happened to you? Can you try to get up?"

Argus groaned as he tried to move again. He fell back.

"I can't get up. I remember now. I just threw the switch for the emergency shutdown then there was a sharp pain in my back. I don't remember anything after that."

"Let me take a look," Reya told him as she rolled him over and pulled up his jacket and shirt. "There's a red area in your lower back, very near the spine."

"You mean I'm paralyzed? Ow!"

"Sorry. If you felt that then you're not paralyzed."

"Warn me next time."

Reya rolled him onto his back again. Argus groaned.

"You must have been affected by one of the power surges when the EMP wave hit," she surmised.

"Reya, we still have to get the systems working. You'll have to do most of it now. We should get the engines and computer systems up first."

"I already brought the instructions with me."

He gave her a brief smile. "Why do you even need me?" he asked jokingly.

"Stop trying to flatter me and lets get to work."

"Yes Commander. If you prop me up at one of the panels, I think I can still manage to be of help."

"Argus, ORAC said that we only had just over four hours of oxygen left. We have to get the life support systems working before that."

"Then we'd better work quickly."

There was a loud thud as something hit the side of the _Justice_.


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter Eleven

Vila, Jenna, Allren and Ture were discussing what to do after hearing the numerous sounds of gunfire from various directions. The noises had died down but it was still occurring sporadically. People along the avenue were no longer just milling around, they were panicking. Everyone seemed to be running somewhere; there did not seem to be any pattern to it. There was no clear indication which direction would be safer. The gunfire had seemed to originate from all directions.

"Going towards gunfire is not my definition of a good idea," said Vila.

"We need to find out what is going on, Vila," said Jenna.

"And what about my need to not have holes put in me?" asked Vila.

"I'm not keen on that myself, Vila. But I agree with Jenna. We need to find out," said Allren.

Normally Allren would be like Vila, trying to avoid trouble as much as possible. He wasn't a coward, he just preferred living. From his experience, Allren knew that in situations like this, trouble often looked for them. In that case, it was much better to find out what the trouble was first.

"Have you thought, Vila, that if the people with these guns, are the same ones who arranged this disruption of the power systems, then they may be the only ones who have any functional technology right now?" Allren pointed out.

"What do you mean?" asked Vila.

Ture explained, "If I were to disable the power systems using an EMP wave, I would make sure my own equipment was shielded so it would not be affected."

Allren added, "That means they will probably have communications equipment. Working communications equipment. You can use that to contact your ship and get us all out."

"Well, if you put it that way. But I still don't like it. Why can't we just wait here for Avon to find a way to contact us?" said Vila.

"We can split up," said Jenna. "Vila, you can wait here for Avon and the rest of us will go find out what is going on," said Jenna.

Ture and Allren nodded in agreement.

"The most concentrated source of gunfire seems to be in that direction," said Jenna as she pointed out the direction.

Allren groaned.

"What's wrong?" asked Ture.

"Have you forgotten? The main Federation Security building is that way. And what do you bet that that's where the gunfire is coming from."

"That's probably a safe bet," said Ture.

The look on Allren's face told them that at any moment, he might agree with Vila and not think this was a good idea.

"Since we're going to do this, let's do this now before I change my mind," said Allren.

Jenna looked out onto the street. Other than panic in the streets, there were no signs of danger.

She said, "It's clear. Let's go."

All three stepped out from the alcove and proceeded towards where the most numerous sounds of gunfire had been.

Vila watched them go.

_I can do this_, he told himself. _How hard can it be to wait?_

He looked around him at the now empty alcove. In the dark, the shadows took on a menacing quality. The alcove "felt" very empty.

_Maybe they might need some help_, thought Vila. _What if there's a lock that needs opening?_

Vila ran after them.

* * *

Sester was amused; this was not a normal reaction to becoming a prisoner again. Restraints were being applied to his wrists, this time by a different set of people. The people who were taking prisoners did not appear any different than the people whom they were taking prisoners. The only difference was who was holding the operational guns.

The gun holders appeared to be very discerning people. They used a sophisticated bio-scanner of some type on each prisoner; then separated them into two different groups, those whom they put under restraints (which were only a handful) and those who were herded away towards the holding cells (which was the majority).

From what Sester had been able to observe, apart from the scanner function, the device also appeared to be comparing their visual images to a database. The psychostrategist's face had appeared on the device.

_This is different_, thought Sester. _Just how many people knew I was coming? I must speak to Servalan about the laxness of Central Security._

The scanner had left him feeling slightly dizzy. The amusing thing was, he was still not concerned.

_I wonder if working with Servalan has increased my tolerance level for danger? Or perhaps this is a symptom of shock?_

Sester's mind was even sharper than normal. Danger focused concentration very well. He was actually enjoying himself.

Another group of prisoners was brought down from the emergency stairwell. They were also separated by the scanner method.

Sester recognized some of the people in this group; Senior controller Dayto and his two guards. All three of them did not look in very good shape. They had obviously put up some resistance.

_You are fortunate you weren't shot_, thought Sester. The angry look on Dayto's face added to Sester's sense of amusement.

"You!" was Dayto's eloquent reaction the moment he saw Sester. Dayto and his two guards had just been added to Sester's group of detainees. "What are you doing here?" he asked.

_Finally a question, but not a useful one_, thought Sester.

"The same thing as you at the moment," he told the man. "Being held prisoner."

Dayto spoke to several people in their group. He seemed to know all of them, which was not surprising since he was the senior controller; but Dayto did seem surprised at the composition of the group.

_I wonder why?_ thought Sester.

The controller was looking around nervously.

"Is this a Federation plan?" Dayto asked Sester.

"Do you really need me to answer that?" asked Sester.

A bearded heavy-set man, with two armed assistants trailing behind, approached them. This man's weapon was not in his hand, it was still holstered; but there was no question that he was with the invading group. The other gun-wielders all snapped to attention when he approached. The bearded man looked over the prisoners.

"Have we identified everyone on the list yet?" he asked one of the guards who was watching over the restrained prisoners.

"Not yet sir, there are still two more we have not yet identified."

"Have you set up a room for me to use?" he asked one of his assistants.

"Yes sir."

_Military command structure_, identified Sester.

"Good. I want to talk to this one," the bearded man said, pointing to Dayto. "You and I have many interesting things to discuss senior controller Dayto."

"You know who I am?"

_Does this man ever plan to ask a useful question_, thought Sester.

"It is obvious that I do," said the bearded man. "We may be of use to each other. Your people can wait here."

Sester realized why Dayto had been concerned. He suspected that most of the restrained group was part of Dayto's rebel group. _Then why am I here? They cannot mistake me as part of this group.

* * *

_

It had been along time since Avon had felt this much pain. He wondered how much damage had been done by the overload of the implant circuits in his knee.

Cally was still bearing the bulk of his weight as they proceeded down the main commercial avenue. Avon admired her physical stamina; it could not have been easy to help him down the twenty flights of steps from the tenth floor. He stifled a groan of pain. Avon suspected that Cally's telepathic ability already made her aware of his pain; he did not want to add to her burden.

"We need to find a place to rest," said Cally.

"Yes," agreed Avon. _You must be tired._

"I am going to examine your knee," she told him. "I know you're having great difficulties."

_I was correct then. You are aware of me on that level_, thought Avon. It made him feel uneasy. He wondered what other things she was aware of from him.

"I am not accepting your normal refusal," she told him.

"There is no need. There's nothing you can do."

"Why must you continue to be stubborn? It isn't logical."

"It's not stubbornness. Or a misguided sense of bravado. The fact is that you cannot do anything to help me."

"Let me judge the facts for myself. I have more medical knowledge." She stopped walking. "Either let me help you or I will not proceed any further."

"You didn't used to be so stubborn," said Avon.

"I must have learned it from you," she told him. "Are you going to let me examine it?"

"It appears I have no other choice."

"There is a bench over there," said Cally. She had spied a group of benches in a small parkade area. Cally lowered Avon slowly to the bench, trying not to cause him any more pain; but he stifled another groan.

She began rolling up his pants leg while Avon lay back on the bench, trying to rest.

"The area appears to have major swelling, and there is extensive interior injury. You must have been in considerable pain. Why did you not tell me?" she asked as she examined the knee. She still did not understand why he would not have allowed her to see this.

"I'm used to pain," said Avon.

"There is no indication what caused this injury," she told him. Cally was feeling something from him now; she could not identify what it was. She took a guess.

"You know what caused this injury, don't you?"

He opened his eyes and looked at her.

_How much can you sense from me_? he wondered. Even from the earliest days of their meeting, Cally seemed to be able to sense things from him that she could not from the others.

_Why Cally? Why me and not the others? _This was a question which had always intrigued him but he had never had the time to explore; it had also threatened a level of intimacy he was not prepared to explore.

He sighed. It also meant that it was harder to keep things from Cally; though she had never been this direct in trying to find out what he was trying to conceal.

"When I was at the Detention Centre, during one of the torture sessions, they destroyed my knee. Servalan found it a very useful source of pain so they never repaired it."

"Servalan did this to you?" asked Cally. She was outraged.

_Servalan again. She will pay one day_, Cally resolved.

"That was just the beginning. I found out later that they eventually did repair my knee but they also embedded a device which simulated the original injury. I was never told and I was never able to tell the difference, not until they wanted me to."

"Why would they do this?"

"The device gave them much greater control over the level and type of pain they could inflict. They could inflict short bursts of intense pain in addition to keeping a constant level of pain. It is a very versatile device and it was very effective." Avon's stomach churned at the memory of what Sester had done to him in the isolation cell using the implant.

"You have been experiencing constant pain from this implant?"

"Yes."

"Why didn't you tell me?"

"There is nothing you could have done. To remove it would require a neurosurgeon. Servalan would know this."

_That is not the whole reason_, thought Cally. She could sense there was more he was hiding.

"That is the logical reason," said Cally. "I know there is another. But you don't need to tell me if you don't wish to."

He could tell that she was being genuine. _You always were_, thought Avon.

Unlike Blake, Cally had known him and had never taken advantage of that knowledge in order to manipulate him.

"I do not want anyone's pity," said Avon. "I can see it in everyone's eyes whenever I come onto the flight deck after a setback. Except for Argus."

_That must be why Healer Garett picked Argus to help Avon and not one of us_, thought Cally. She knew that she had been one of those people.

"I can see my own weakness whenever they look at me," he continued.

"It is not pity, it is concern. That is a normal human reaction when someone you care about is hurting. You cannot stop that, Avon," said Cally.

"Caring and needing are two different things Cally," said Avon.

"You think that we are doing all of these things for you because we need you?"

"I am a realist."

"You are also a fool. I care about you. We all do in our own way."

"Within reason?" asked Avon cynically; reflecting what Tarrant had once said right before Avon had teleported down to Residence One, the day he had found out about Anna's treachery.

There was another reason he had not told Cally. One which he did not think she needed to know. The pain reminded him of what his enemies had done to him. Sometimes in his weakness, when his mind was not entirely in his control, he missed the conversations with Sester and the times he spent with a Servalan, when she had not seemed like an enemy. The pain helped him to remember. He wanted to always remember.


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter Twelve

A thud against the side of a ship could mean many things; some insignificant and some serious.

Argus and Reya looked at each other, neither of them had any question what this thud meant. They had both been on ships which had been boarded before. Argus had experience both boarding and being boarded.

The _Justice_ would seem to be a derelict ship to any outside force; dead in space, unable to respond. It was possible that it was a friendly boarding party looking to see if there were survivors needing help, though these days, that was much less likely. Most friendly people learned that being helpful was equated with being an easy target.

It could have been opportunistic salvagers; but Argus and Reya's well honed sense of danger told them otherwise.

"We're being boarded," said Argus.

"You want me to hide, don't you? And rescue you later?" Reya asked, knowing his mind.

"Well, _I_ could hide but you'd have to wait along time to be rescued," he said. "Don't keep me waiting too long."

"Don't die on me," she told him.

"I'll do my best, Commander," he replied. He reached out and touched her arm briefly. She nodded. They did not need any maudlin displays of love or teary farewells; they knew where they stood with each other.

Reya quickly left the engine room.

After she left, Argus began dragging himself painfully towards the exit. It would be much more believable that he was alone if he tried to do it himself. He gritted his teeth at the pain but kept going. Somewhere near the doorway, he passed out.

* * *

The next sensation Argus had was of someone feeling the muscles of his bare chest. His first thought was that it was Reya, but these hands were cold. He opened his eyes.

"Don't move," a voice above him said. "You won't be able to get very far with that injury. So you might as well not try. Unless you like pain."

Argus looked around. He was still on the _Justice_, lying flat on a bio-bed in the medical bay. His jacket and shirt had been removed. Other than for the person near his head, there were two other people near the exit. Armed strangers in dark brown uniforms.

_Soldiers_.

Argus was familiar with the uniforms of many different forces, he did not recognize these ones. It was not comforting to know that his and Reya's senses of danger were still very accurate.

The soldiers looked eager. _Eager for what?_

His back was still in considerable pain. He doubted if he could move off the bed without aid.

The one near his head, who had spoken but he could not see, was still exploring his body. Argus felt very uncomfortable but he doubted if he could do anything about it with the guards standing nearby. He very much preferred that these were Reya's hands.

_Well, at least they don't plan to kill me first_, thought Argus. _Unless this is a prelude for preparing me as a main course._

Argus had the distinct impression that he was being admired, at least his body was.

"You are an excellent specimen. The mind is not bad either," the voice told him.

The owner of the voice came around to face him. He was a tall, willowy man who wore a uniform like the other two, but this one was green. The man reached further down and felt the defined muscles of Argus's abdomen.

"If you continue any further, I _will_ move and I guarantee I will not be the only one hurting," said Argus. _Guards or no guards._

The hands were lifted from his body. "I do believe you would be able to do that, despite the injury to your back. It might be interesting to continue just to see how you would be able to manage it."

_Please do_, thought Argus.

* * *

"You were right," said Cally. "There is nothing I can do for your knee. I do not even have anaesthetic drugs to alleviate your pain. And there do not appear to be any shops open now."

Avon refrained from saying "I told you so." He was tired. The effort of descending the stairs had exhausted him. He could barely stand the pain from his knee now.

"Leave me here, Cally."

"You know I will not do that, Avon."

"I would only slow you down. You have a better chance of finding the equipment without me."

"I would like to leave you here to rest but…" Cally began and then paused; she knew that what she wanted to say would only reinforce the idea of his need for someone else. After what he had just shared with her before, she knew how much he hated it.

"I would be too easy a target in my condition?" Avon said sarcastically, completing her thought.

Cally could sense his anger and frustration.

He continued, "I used to be able to provide solutions. Not be part of the problem."

"You are selling yourself short, Avon. If it were not for you, we would still be stuck in the lift," Cally pointed out.

Avon countered, "The best thing I can look forward to now is becoming both a burden and a solution."

"You have never been a burden," said Cally.

"Not to you perhaps," he said. "Since you insist on burdening yourself with me, then you wouldn't mind helping me up."

"I thought you hated being helped?" said Cally.

"I am a pragmatist. I may not accept that I need help but I cannot deny the physical reality."

"You hate that reality."

"Hating a reality does not make it less real."

"Now we are only playing words," said Cally as she helped him up. This caused even more pain. Avon gasped and fell back onto the bench.

"Do you want to reassess my status as a burden?" he asked.

Ignoring his comment, she said, "I am going to put a splint on it. It will give your knee more support."

Cally looked around them, the parkade trees afforded many splint-making opportunities. She quickly improvised one and applied it to his leg. This time Cally was able to help him stand.

"It is best to keep moving," said Avon. "We need to find a way back to the ship before I start having even more problems."

* * *

The Federation President wasn't sure how concerned she should be. The day had started out with the news that there was no news on the whereabouts of psychostrategist Sester. Then not only was there no word from Sester, Central Security seemed to have also lost track of its two agents on Papos.

_Lost track of, usually means they are dead_, thought Servalan. _What is going on, on Papos?_

Servalan had just finished a day of meetings with various admirals from Space Command, the heads of Federation Border Command and the Cooperation Project. There had been nothing of note to report. The Federation's plans were progressing as expected; even on Papos.

Every appeared to be fine; as fine as could be expected from a Federation still trying to rebuild its empire and hold onto what it already had.

Papos seemed to have two faces. _But which one is real?_ thought Servalan. She brought up her assistant on the vidscreen.

"Corry, find Controller Tarvin and tell him I want to speak with him immediately," she directed him.

"Yes, Madame President."


	13. Chapter 13

Chapter Thirteen

When senior controller Dayto came out of the room with the bearded leader, Sester knew that the two men had come to an agreement. He did not need to see the lack of restraints on Dayto's wrists to know that. The thoughtful look on Dayto's face spoke volumes.

"Release his men," the bearded leader told the guards.

One by one, each of the detainees were released from their bonds. When the guards came to Sester and were about to release him, the psychostrategist was surprised. He doubted that he had been included in whatever agreement had been made.

The bearded man said, "No. Not him."

Sester did not react. He had not even raised his hands to be released; this had been what he was expecting. The guard moved onto the next person while the bearded leader approached.

Sester looked at him. The man was slightly taller than Sester, heavy of build and had a dark beard. He wore the same brown uniform as the others but his had a rank marking none of the others had.

The man smiled. No one in the corridor wanted that smile directed at them; there was nothing friendly in that smile.

"You are the psychostrategist, Sester?" the bearded leader asked.

"Yes." There was no point in denying it. It was clear they knew who he was from the moment they had captured him. He had been on their target list. Even if they did not, Dayto would probably have wasted not time in telling them.

"Is that of interest to you?" Sester asked.

"Yes. You are of great interest to us. We have never had one of your kind to work on before."

Sester did not like the sounds of that.

_Maybe it is time to start asking for a hazard bonus for being a psychostrategist_, thought Sester.

"Bring him," said the man. Without a further word to him, the bearded leader headed towards the building exit. A guard prodded Sester into motion with the tip of his rifle and the psychostrategist followed after him.

* * *

Jenna, Vila, Allren and Ture were watching the main Federation Security building from a building nearby. By now all was quiet again.

The takeover had been swift. There was not much to resist with when you had no functional weapons or technology.

Brown uniformed guards now replaced the black-clad Federation ones at all access points. Other than some concerned citizens watching carefully from a distance, the only people walking the streets wore brown uniforms.

"There are a lot of them," remarked Vila. "And we only have one gun."

"I would recommend using the gun sparingly," said Ture.

"It's our only weapon and you don't want us to use it?" asked Vila. He clearly did not think this was a good idea.

"These projectile weapons make a lot of noise. The moment we use it, they would know where we are. It also has a limited capacity. I have checked. There are only fifteen projectiles in this weapon. Once it is used up it would become useless unless we obtain more," Ture replied.

"Oh, I hadn't thought of that," said Vila.

"We still need to get access to communications equipment," said Jenna.

Allren said, "They appear to have setup the Security building as their main base. They must have comm equipment in there. We need to get in somehow."

"But how? That building is surrounded by their soldiers," said Vila. "It would be all of them against the four of us. Unless you plan to stroll up to them and ask if they have any spare communications equipment lying around."

"I have an idea," said Jenna. "When you and Argus went to the Federation Banking complex on Elarus get the crystal, you impersonated Federation soldiers."

"We had your computer ORAC dummy up some fake identities for us then," said Allren.

"We don't have to be that involved. Comm equipment is not something they need to keep in a vault somewhere. Once we get in, all we have to do is find it," said Jenna. "We can deal with whatever we find once we get inside."

"All we have to do…" muttered Vila. He was getting an uncomfortable feeling which came from having done something like this too many times in the past.

_I thought I had finally gotten away from this life_, thought Vila._ I was happy being a master thief. Avon used to have bolt holes. Maybe I can ask ORAC to find me some. _

"Now we just need to find some unwilling people to give us their uniforms," said Allren.

"At the moment they're only moving around in groups. We'll have to wait," said Jenna.

"We should set up shifts to watch the window while the rest of us get some rest," suggested Ture.

"I'll take the first one," said Allren.

The rest of them made themselves as comfortable as they could in the office they had "borrowed" the use of with Vila's help.

"I'm hungry," said Vila as he lay back on the hard floor.

Ture suddenly remembered that he was starving too. In the stress of their situation, he had almost forgotten.

"You're not the only one," said Jenna, as she too lay back to get some rest. The last time both of them had eaten had been on the _Justice_. That had seemed a long time ago.

"Do you suppose that Avon and Cally made it back to the ship, Jenna? Do you think they're looking for us?" asked Vila.

"I don't know. Even if they haven't, Argus would have noticed that something was wrong by now. He usually keeps an eye on unusual things like sudden loss of power over the whole city," replied Jenna.

"I always used to hated it when he insisted on setting up boring procedures. We never used to have any on the _Liberator_ or the _Scorpio_."

"Yes, I remember. You used to fall asleep a lot whenever he did that. You have to remember, Vila. Argus is ex-military. He is used to things like procedure and discipline."

"I used to hate that too," said Vila.

"What? Procedure and discipline?"

"Yes. That. And the whole being ex-military thing."

"It sounds like you've changed your mind."

"I wouldn't go that far," said Vila. "But if it can get us out of this mess, then I might not fall asleep next time he tries to set up procedures."

"Admit it, you're starting to like him," said Jenna.

"I wouldn't go that far either. Jenna, I never asked you what happened after Star One. What did you and Blake do after you left the _Liberator_? How did you meet up with Argus?"

"It's a long story," said Jenna. There was sadness in her voice and something which made Vila say, "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have asked."

"It was…hard," said Jenna. "I haven't…"

As always happened when something interesting was about to be revealed, at that moment, Allren said from the window, "Ture. Come over here."

Thinking that it might be something interesting, they all got up and went back over to the window.

They could see two men exiting the building, followed by a contingent of brown uniformed soldiers. The one in front was a tall, heavy set man with a beard. The one behind him was wearing restraints and was being prodded by one of the soldiers.

"Isn't that the psychostrategist we saw before?" asked Allren.

"Yes," agreed Ture.

"I wonder where they're taking him."

Ture shrugged. "Wherever it is, I don't think it's going to be good for him."

"It doesn't look like it, does it?"

All of a sudden Vila exclaimed, "Jenna!"

"What is it, Vila?"

"Isn't that the man we were following before? The one in front?"

Jenna looked more carefully at the man leading the procession.

"You're right," she agreed.

"But I thought he was dead? Didn't we see his body?"

"What's this?" asked Allren. Dead bodies walking around sounded intriguing. And troubling.

Jenna and Vila told the two tech mercenaries about their adventure and about following a bearded heavy-set man after discovering he had a gun.

"You think this is the same man?" asked Ture.

"It's either that or he's got an identical twin," said Jenna.

"He could be a clone," said Ture.

Vila like those ideas much better than the idea of animated corpses walking about.

"Maybe he wasn't really dead," said Allren.

"He wasn't breathing, there was no pulse and his body was cold. That adds up to dead in my computer," said Vila.

"We need to find out what is going on," said Ture.

"Agreed," said Jenna.

"I don't agree," said Vila. "I thought we were just going to get the communications equipment. Not go around playing detective. Don't we already have enough things to worry about?"

"We need to find out, Vila. There is something very strange going on here."

"Yes. But what's that got to do with us?"

"You're sounding like Avon," accused Jenna.

"And you're sounding like Blake," Vila retorted. Vila had always liked Blake, but that did not mean that he liked that Blake always insisted on dragging them into dangerous situations to help people they barely knew.

"You never change," said Jenna. "You never liked the danger, did you Vila."

"I've had enough of it to last a lifetime, Jenna. Several lifetimes," said Vila. "But no one ever listened to me."

Jenna never noticed how tired Vila sounded. And how sick. "I'm sorry it was like that for you."

"If they had listened to me, just once… I think that's why I started drinking. And why I kept asking Cally for soma. It started getting to me. Living in danger all the time and not wanting to."

"You thought that you were finally free of it all and then Argus came and got you," said Jenna.

"It was my own fault for not saying 'no'," said Vila.

"Well, he can be very persuasive. But it sounds like you're saying 'no' now," said Jenna.

"I guess I am."

"I'm sure Argus will let you off wherever you want. He knows you're a civilian and that he can't expect you to stay."

"Do you think he would?"

"Yes. I'll talk to him."

"Well, if you think he will, I'll help you find out what is going on here," said Vila.


	14. Chapter 14

Chapter Fourteen

After leaving Argus in the engine room, Reya had hidden in one of the maintenance tunnels which ran the length of the ship. As she watched, a group of brown uniformed men and red uniformed men came down the corridor and entered the engine room. She could hear voices but could not make out what they were saying. After a few minutes, she saw two soldiers drag Argus's limp form out of the engine room.

Argus had seemed to be unconscious and she had not heard any sounds of violence. She doubted if they would be able to knock him out easily, even with his back injury. That meant that they had taken him by surprise, they had used drugs or he had passed out from his injuries None of these were welcome news as she used the tunnels to follow the group.

As she tailed them, she noticed other groups of soldiers on the ship. The red uniformed ones seemed to be engineers or technicians of some kind. They were opening panels and examining the technology of the ship. Some of them were carrying very familiar print outs.

_With the instructions ORAC provided, they can fix Zen, the life-support and the engines easily enough. It saves us the trouble of doing it. And they would be able to do a better job than Argus and I could have. But it won't do us any good if they gain control of the ship._

Reya wondered how long it would take them to break or by-pass Zen's security protocols. If they couldn't then the enemy technicians would have to either reprogram Zen or by-pass it altogether.

_Hopefully, that will give me time to free Argus. But we have to regain control of the ship before they do. And disable them all somehow. And fix Argus's injury. And not get destroyed by the other ship. And retrieve the others from the planet. All in a day's work,_ thought Reya. _For a hundred people._

Reya really wished they had one of their elite teams there. But she had never been one to give up, even against impossible odds; and she wasn't about to now. Especially not now.

Argus had been brought to the medical bay and laid on a bio-bed after his jacket and shirt had been removed. A little later, another man entered the room. This one was in a green uniform. The man examined Argus with a medical hand scanner Reya was unfamiliar with. He seemed very interested in Argus's back injury.

After the man finished with the scanner, he began feeling Argus's body with his hands. For some reason, he also seemed very interested in the musculature. At some point during this examination, Argus regained consciousness.

Reya could imagine how uncomfortable Argus felt having this man touching him. It made her feel uncomfortable just watching it.

Hearing Argus's strong bass voice warning the man off, relieved one worry.

_At least you're well enough to resist them._

Shortly afterwards, Argus seemed to be unconscious again. She couldn't see if the green uniformed man had done something, or if Argus had passed out again. The soldiers lifted Argus up off the table and dragged him out, followed by the green unformed man.

This time she followed them down to one of the shuttle bays. Both the inner and outer shuttle bay hatches had been opened.

_So that's how they boarded. They must have forced the hatches open._

There was a solid tunnel linking the shuttle bay to what appeared to be another ship. The soldiers dragged Argus across the tunnel to the other side.

_This complicates things.

* * *

_

The streets of Papos were in chaos or orderly, depending on which one you were on. All the main thoroughfares were now under the control of the brown uniformed soldiers. These ones were very orderly.

Avon and Cally had chosen one of the side streets which was full of people milling about in a state of panic. No one knew what was going on; though there were many rumours.

"You have to rest," Cally told Avon. For the past hour, he had been leaning on her more and more and she could hear that he was breathing in laboured gasps. "We have to find a place where you can lie down."

"No. We have to keep going," said Avon. His voice was strained and she could barely hear him. "If we stop now, I will not be able to get up again."

"Then we will deal with that when the time comes. You must rest."

Avon shook his head stubbornly. "No."

"Well, I need rest, even if you don't. If you want to continue, you will have to do it without my help."

That got the response she wanted.

"Very well."

Resting was a good idea; if there had been any place to rest. In the end, they had to settle for lowering Avon to the ground so that he could lean back against the wall. Avon closed his eyes and tried to rest. His face was pale.

Suddenly a loud message began broadcasting throughout the city on a continuous loop.

"CITIZENS OF PAPOS. RETURN TO YOUR PLACES OF RESIDENCE. YOUR CITY IS NOW UNDER MARTIAL LAW. THERE IS A CURFEW IN EFFECT UNTIL FURTHER NOTICE. COOPERATION IS APPRECIATED. RESISTANCE AND DISOBEDIENCE WILL BE DEALT WITH IMMEDIATELY AND WITHOUT MERCY. YOU HAVE ONE OF YOUR TIME UNITS TO CLEAR THE AVENUES."

"Is this your idea of rest?" Avon asked.

"How can you joke in a time like this? We need to find a place to go."

"Where do you propose?"

Cally closed her eyes and concentrated. With the emotions high in the city, she had become more aware of people on the edge of her consciousness. She opened her eyes and headed towards a man who was about to walk past them. He was an older man, with greying hair and walked like someone who had many responsibilities. The man was also carrying numerous food packets in a large bag. Cally touched the man on the arm. He stopped and turned towards her.

Cally said, "Excuse me. My mate and I are visitors in your city. We have no place to go for the curfew. Could you take us in for the night. We would be glad to pay you whatever you think is fair." Cally pointed towards Avon, who was still leaning against the wall.

"He appears ill," the man said. There was suspicion on his face.

"He sustained an injury when one of the soldiers thought he was not moving quickly enough."

"Oh. I'm sorry to hear that. But I have my own family to take care of. There are other people you can ask."

They both looked towards the other people; all of whom also had their own concerns and were rushing past them in all directions. No one seemed to notice that there was an ill looking man sitting on the ground.

The man realized that he had been one of those people. If it had not been for the young woman, he would also have gone back to his own residence and left this distressed couple to the mercy of the ruthless invaders.

The grey-haired man looked towards Avon; who had closed his eyes and was leaning against the wall again. The man sighed and asked, "Can he walk?"

"He can, but he requires assistance."

"What's wrong with him?" the man asked as they walked towards Avon.

"He sustained a knee injury."

When they reached the wall, Cally said, "This is my mate, Avon."

Avon looked up at Cally with an amused look on his face upon hearing her introduction.

"My name is Cally."

"And mine is Restin."

Between the two of them, they were able to lift Avon to his feet.

"My residence is this way," the man indicated as they set out as quickly as possible with the injured Avon between them.

* * *

Argus was standing alone in the centre of a cold, bare, medium-sized room. It was circular in shape and had padded walls. He was not restrained in any way and no one had bothered to return his jacket and shirt.

The last thing Argus remembered was being in the darkened medical bay on the _Justice_, being pawed by the willowy man in the green uniform. He had no idea how he got here or how long it had been since being in the medical bay. When he returned to consciousness, he was being dragged into this circular prison and held by two brown uniformed guards until he was fully awake. After making sure he could stand, they had left. None of them had spoken to him.

There was one additional thing he noticed. His body below the neck seemed to be unable to move while the guards held him; but before leaving, they had removed something from the back of his neck and he was suddenly able to move again.

_Some kind of paralyzing device._ Argus was not aware of any small device which was capable of doing that. At least, not in the Federation.

_Unless it's some new technology I'm unaware of. Which is very likely._

He wondered where Reya was and if she was still safe.

Since he was now able and mobile, he needed to escape and find her. Together, they were a very dangerous team. But for now, he could not think of that, or of her. He needed to concentrate on his own situation in order to escape.

Argus stretched slowly and carefully in order to test his back; and as an afterthought, his shoulders as well. They seemed fine. In fact, his entire body felt good; healthy and strong.

_Why would they fix my back? And how could they do it so quickly?_

The enhanced EMP wave he could understand; being boarded, he could also understand. They were possible preludes to invasion or destruction. Holding him prisoner also had an understandable, if unpleasant purpose. The reasons for healing him were elusive.

Argus wondered what was happening on the planet. The EMP wave had emanated from there. Something had to be happening down there as well. He hoped that the crew would be able to stay out of danger until they could retrieve them. But for now, there wasn't even a way to contact them.

_We need to rescue the others. But I have to get out of here first._

Argus could feel that he was being watched; though there were no visible surveillance equipment.

He did some exploring of the room where he was being held. After looking carefully over every square unit, he finally found the exit. It was very difficult to spot as it was designed to blend into the wall, leaving an impervious surface. There was no door panel or any visible means to open it with. It was not meant to be opened from the inside.

The room also contained no hint as to the purpose of putting him here. Argus didn't even know where 'here' was. The only thing he was sure of was that he was no longer on the _Justice_.

_I may have to wait for Reya after all._

Argus hoped that she had been able to track him. He knew that if it was humanly possible, she would have. Nothing could stop her when she put her mind to it.

_Not even me_, he thought with a wry smile. In the meantime, he would have to do one of the things he hated most, he would have to wait; wait for Reya to rescue him and wait for his captors to reveal themselves and finally tell him what they wanted from him.

_It's not just a sense of being watched. It almost feels like I'm on display._

After the unwelcome attentions of the green uniformed man in the medical bay, he was afraid to speculate what he was on display for.

A booming voice resonated in the room.

"Your name is Drel Argus. You are the leader of the ship called the _Justice_."

_No opportunity to pretend that I'm Vila then_, thought Argus.

"Yes," he replied. _And if you want anymore information, you will be disappointed, _he thought defiantly.

"That is a good start," said the voice.

"What do you want from me?"

"We will get to that in time. But first of all, where is the one you call Kerr Avon?"


	15. Chapter 15

Chapter Fifteen

Sometimes you can wake up and hate mornings. At other times you would actually have a legitimate reason to want to head right back to bed and hope it was all a bad dream.

As the sun rose over the main commercial city of Papos (which also coincidentally had the same name; the Paposians had never been original in the naming of their cities) its citizens wished that they could all go back to sleep, and wake up in a city which was not now under martial law.

Of course, the likelihood was that none of them had gotten any sleep since the invasion began the night before.

From the perspective of the citizens of the city, the loss of technology meant they were isolated. But they still had hope that they would be rescued. All they needed was for someone, from somewhere else on their planet to realize what was happening and send help. Not one of them understood the scope of the invasion or how helpless they were to these invaders. No one, except the invaders knew that the entire planet and all ships within close visual scanner range had been taken over.

Some on Papos expected their new Federation masters to come in to save them. None of them knew that the Federation had no idea they were in trouble. With senior controller Dayto's help, the Federation still received the expected periodic communications and reports they normally did.

In fact if Servalan had not been so paranoid in keeping checks on Sester, no one would even suspect that something was not quite right on Papos. And unfortunately, for the invaders, no one suspected that anyone would need to keep such close tabs on a psychostrategist.

There was one other thing the invaders underestimated; the trouble-making capacity of nine strangers in their midst.

* * *

The Federation President was still not convinced that everything was normal on Papos; despite all the regular reports coming in from Space Command and Border Command. Of course these reports were usually several days old, as they had to be routed via several communications relay stations.

"Corry, I want to speak to Controller Tarvin of Central Security again," the President instruction her assistant using the vidcomm.

"Yes, Madame President," acknowledged her long-suffering and handsome young assistant. "Do you want me to wake him again or can this wait until morning?"

"Now," said the President firmly. Despite the lateness of the hour, she did not see why anyone else should enjoy sleep when she still had several hours more work to do. Servalan was about to close the connection when she added, "Oh Corry. You can go home after this. I won't need you until tomorrow."

"Thank you, Madame President," her assistant said in appreciation. "Are you sure, you don't want me to wait until after your meeting with Controller Tarvin?"

"Yes. You look tired. Good night," said Servalan as she closed the connection. She sighed. _At least someone will get some sleep tonight. But someone else has to find out what is really going on, on Papos. We can no longer rely on second-hand reports. A ship must be sent there._

Part of her hoped that they would also find out some news on the _Justice_ and Avon. Since the loss of Drel Argus's tracer signal, they could not be certain that they were still at Papos; but Servalan had a feeling they were still there.

Servalan found that she missed Avon; missed the talks she had with him. She never realized how alone she was until after he left her. Servalan sighed. _Not time for such thoughts._

She took another drink of her coffee and brought up the next report. This one was on the trafficking of shadow by the Terra Nostra. The Federation President had always hated the moral decadence of places like Freedom City and had always been averse to the trade in shadow. Unfortunately it was a reality had she inherited as Federation President. Servalan was determined to do something about it.

She knew that it was an uphill battle, especially with the Terra Nostra. They would definitely not agree to the erosion of their base of wealth and power.

* * *

"CITIZENS OF PAPOS. STAY IN YOUR PLACES OF RESIDENCE UNTIL FURTHER NOTICE. YOUR CITY IS NOW UNDER MARTIAL LAW. THERE IS A CURFEW IN EFFECT. COOPERATION IS APPRECIATED. RESISTANCE AND DISOBEDIENCE WILL BE DEALT WITH IMMEDIATELY AND WITHOUT MERCY."

The message blared loudly on a continuous loop.

"How is anyone supposed to get any sleep with that going on all the time," said Vila. He sat up and rubbed his eyes.

"Then you'll be glad to know that it's your turn to take the next watch," said Ture from the window.

Vila gave him a not very pleasant look, but he got up to take his turn. "I don't understand why we have to keep up this watching. We can't even go out there now with the curfew."

Jenna, who had also not been able to get any sleep, rolled over and said, "That is why we are going to do it at night, Vila."

"But I thought…"

"You thought that something like a curfew would stop us?" she asked, as she also sat up.

"Yes." _I had hoped that_, thought Vila. He wondered what was taking Avon and Argus so long. Vila was starting to worry that one of them may have tried to make contact but didn't know where to find them.

_Why did I make that promise to help_, thought Vila. He realized it had been a mistake almost the moment he had said it.

"If we don't get that communications equipment, we're stuck here," said Jenna. She turned to Ture. "Have they changed their patterns yet? Do you see anyone travelling alone or in a small enough group that we can ambush them?"

"No. There has not been any change," said Ture. "They're still travelling in large groups."

"Damn. I thought they would have eased up a bit by now," said Jenna.

"What are you thinking?" asked Allren.

"We can't wait," said Jenna. "Who knows how long it will take before they feel safe enough to travel in smaller numbers."

"Why can't we wait?" said Vila. "Does everyone forget? We only have one weapon. Even if there are only four of them and four of us. They still outnumber us with weapons. And the moment we shoot our one weapon. More of them are going to come running."

"Impersonating the enemy soldiers is still a good idea," said Jenna. "If we can't use real uniforms. Let's make up fake ones."

"Fake ones?" asked Allren. "How?"

"There were clothing shops in the commercial avenue. We should be able to find something."

"But that still means we have to go out during the curfew," grumbled Vila. "Didn't you hear? They will shoot whoever they find outside."

"I agree with Vila," said Allren. "It's too risky."

"Not if we're careful and we only travel at night. I was watching their movements during my shift. They are very methodical but regular. If we move fast enough, we should be able to elude them," said Jenna.

"I agreed to help," said Vila. "I didn't agree to help you commit suicide."

"Jenna. Shouldn't we wait a bit longer? Maybe we can come up with a better idea," said Ture. So far he had stayed quiet. He agreed with Jenna that they had to do something; but he did not think this plan was a good idea. Unfortunately, he didn't have an alternative to present her. That was why he had stayed silent.

"Don't you see. Every minute we wait, the more entrenched they become. And the less chance we will have. Alright. If none of you want to go, then I'll go get the clothes myself. You wait here," Jenna checked the weapon and headed towards the door without waiting to see if anyone was following.

Vila grimaced; his stomach was starting to bother him. He shook his head and followed her out. "It's like Blake all over again," he mumbled under his breath.

Ture looked at his partner.

Allren said, "Don't look at me. I'm not going. What they're doing is crazy and we're not getting paid for it."

"True," said Ture. "But they're going to get killed, if we don't help."

"When did you start risking your life without getting paid?"

"Suit yourself. I'm going to help them," said Ture. He followed Jenna and Vila.

Allren stood alone in the empty room. After a few moments he muttered, "I know I'm going to regret this." He followed them out.

* * *

A little later, the small band of four had avoided all of the enemy soldiers and made it to one of the side streets off the main commercial avenue.

"Vila, can you get this lock open?" asked Jenna, pointing to a shop door. She, Allren and Ture had arranged themselves in lookout positions.

Vila bent down to look. "Of course. It'll take a few minutes."

"The fewer the better," said Jenna. They all felt very exposed. Other than the brown uniformed soldiers, they had seen no civilians.

"Don't hurry me," said Vila. Fear always made him work faster. In less than two minutes, he had it open.

"Quickly, everyone inside," said Jenna.

They all entered the shop as another enemy soldier group came down the avenue. The four of them stayed still until the soldiers passed.

Once it was clear Jenna said, "Look for something we can use for uniforms."

They all started looking through bins and shelves of clothing.

"I'll keep a look out," said Allren. He stayed by the door.

* * *

After going through almost every shelf and bin they finally found enough clothing to make up three passable uniforms.

"We're just guessing the colours, in the dark," Ture pointed out to Jenna.

"We're only going to move in the dark," said Jenna. "They still only have limited lighting, even in the Security building. We just have to move fast and not let them take too close a look at us."

"What happened to you Jenna?" asked Vila. "When Blake used to take these kinds of chances, you used to be almost as vocal as Avon. We used to do it, but none of us liked it, not even you. What changed?"

Vila didn't know what made him speak out like this. He never did with Blake.

For a moment, he thought Jenna was going to answer him. There was a hardness in her eyes, which he had never noticed before. Instead she said, "We have to get going. Allren, is it clear?"

Without taking his eyes off the avenue, Allren nodded. They all exited the shop with their find of clothing and moved as quickly as they could without making any undue noise.

Unfortunately, at that moment, a group of enemy soldiers appeared at the head of the commercial avenue and saw them immediately. As the announcement had said, there was no mercy. The soldiers began firing at them.

Jenna immediately started firing back. "Run!" she told them, as she covered their backs.

Allren went down with a projectile to the back. Vila and Ture picked him up and raced on. They turned a corner and almost ran into another group of soldiers which had come running towards the source of the disturbance. Vila was shot in the arm by this second group. Backing up quickly the four ran down another avenue. By now, Jenna had run out of projectiles.

Fortunately they were running down a maze of small streets. It would have been more fortunate if they had been familiar with these streets.

They stopped for a few seconds to catch their breaths and get their bearings when it seemed that the enemy soldiers had lost sight of them.

"Over here," a voice whispered behind them. A door opened.

"It's better than bleeding out here," said Allren. He was pressing one of the brown clothing they had found against his wound.

They quickly went through the offered door.

* * *

"How many times do you need to hear this?" asked Argus. "I do not know where Avon is. I will not give you any ideas how to find him."

The booming voice finally fell silent. They had been asking him the same question repeatedly for hours.

The doorway which he had identified earlier, slid open. Twelve men entered the circular room. These men wore short-sleeves tunics and trousers; the same brown colour as the uniforms.

They surrounded Argus in a large, loose circle.

_Good. Something different. I was starting to get bored_, thought Argus.

One of the men came forward and stood in a fighting stance. Argus followed suit.

The man did not wait, he punched towards Argus's head. Argus shifted his head slightly and the man's punch missed widely. Before the man recovered, Argus had struck him in kidney area and the man went down. When he got up again, the man returned to his place in the circle.

_I hope some of you are better than this. Or it's going to get boring again very quickly_, thought Argus.

Each man in turn, took on Argus with the same result. After the twelfth man, all of the enemy soldiers were bruised in at least one area. Argus had not even broken a sweat. He was just getting warmed up.

_Alright I am officially bored now,_ thought Argus.

Two men now approached him. Again the same result. And again, each man in the circle took their turns in twos. The results were the same as it had been with the single man combat.

When that was finished, three men approached.

_I see. We're playing a numbers game. You want to see how many bad fighters it takes to bring me down._

"Why don't I save you all some time. Why don't you all come at me at once. All twelve of you," he offered.

They ignored him and continued their numbers game. When finally all twelve came at him, Argus was very bored. He dispatched them all quickly and left them lying on the ground.

"What was the purpose of this?" Argus asked loudly. He was certain that he was still being watched. That sense of being put on display had never left.

No one answered his question. The enemy soldiers got up and left.

Argus sat down to rest. Even though it had not been much of a challenge, it was always good to get rest.

He didn't get much rest. After a few minutes, another group of similarly clothed soldiers entered the room.

Argus got up and faced them as they ranged themselves in another circle. The same activity was repeated. This group was better than the last.

_You plan to wear me out? You had better have much better fighters than these. I am still not going to tell you anything about Avon._

Argus did not understand what they hoped to achieve.

* * *

Sester had been feeling increasingly dizzy. The bearded leader had brought him to a medical building which had been appropriated by the enemy forces. He had been strapped to an examination table and left in the hands of a group of green uniformed soldiers.

Once there he had been submitted to a battery of tests. The ones they applied to his brain, were the ones causing the dizziness. None of them spoke to him and no one answered his questions.

The tests went on for hours. At times Sester was so tired that he fell asleep. They always woke him up. For some reason he needed to be awake for the tests.

A brown uniformed soldier entered the room. "The shuttle is here, sir," he reported to the leader of the green uniformed soldiers.

"Good. Take him." Two of the green uniformed soldiers unstrapped Sester from the table, reapplied the restraints and led him out to the waiting shuttle.


	16. Chapter 16

Chapter Sixteen

Argus was still in the circular room; battling rounds of enemy soldiers. He had lost count of how many or how long he had been at it.

_At last, some real opponents._

This latest group actually challenged his skill but he was nearing exhaustion. It still took four of them but they were finally getting past his guard. Bruises were starting to appear on his body. He was glistening with sweat.

He didn't know if this group was that much better or whether it was just from the exhaustion. He suspected it was the latter. Another punch was directed at his back, which he was not able to avoid in time. Argus fell to his knees. His four opponents were on him immediately, grabbing his arms. It became a wrestling match which he no longer had the endurance to win. They finally pinned him down; then two of them held him while the other two pummelled his body with their fists. He grunted with the impact of each strike.

"Enough." The booming voice echoed in the room again. Argus had not heard it since before these challenge rounds began. His opponents immediately stopped and let Argus go.

Argus pushed himself and slowly got up. He stared at his opponents in defiance.

"All of you may go." The voice boomed. The soldiers exited the room.

When the last one had left and the door panel slid closed, the voice said, "You did well."

"Your people didn't," Argus told the voice.

"Still such spirit," said the voice in admiration.

"What do you hope to achieve by this?" Argus asked.

The voice ignored his question and asked one instead, "Are you ready to tell me where Kerr Avon is?"

"It will take more than just a little exercise, to get me to tell you anything, other than my name," said Argus.

"We shall see. You have provided us with much information today. Thank you."

_What information?_

Argus was puzzled. He had not said anything other than admitting who he was.

The voice boomed, "You may rest now and replenish your energy. A bio-tech will be sent in later to tend to any injuries you may have before your next challenge. Of course, if you tell us the information we requested on Kerr Avon, we will send one in now."

"Save yourself the trouble. I don't need any help," replied Argus.

"You are still refusing to answer the question?" the voice asked.

"No. I am not refusing. I have no _interest_ in answering your question."

"We are going to talk about this again after your next challenge."

"It's going to be a very one-sided conversation."

"We are patient." The voice fell silent and did not speak again. Two guards came in to give him some food and water. Afterwards, he lay on the ground and tried to get some rest. Without the exertion it was starting to get cold again.

Now that he had time to think, there were several things Argus filed away in his mind.

The enemy fighters he had faced, even the last group, were limited by a lack of imagination. They did not seem to have the ability to improvise in any situation they had not been trained to handle.

For Argus, fighting was an art. Not for these soldiers. It was more like a science to them; their movements were precise and recognizable. Argus's movements were dynamic and unpredictable; and only recognizable in their results.

He was graceful and acrobatic. They were mechanical and accurate.

Another thing he noticed, not one of the soldiers had the muscular development that he had.

_That must be why the green uniformed one is so interested in mine. _That still did not make Argus feel any less uncomfortable.

One other thing Argus noted; by the time each circle challenge ended, the enemy soldiers were very frustrated and some were even afraid. When the last group finally got him down and they were beating him, he could see the enjoyment in their faces; and the satisfaction in the faces of those in the remaining circle.

_These are not fighters. They are thugs._

Argus had realized after the second circle, that it was a test of some kind. They wanted to know what he was capable of; and perhaps learn how he fought. He began making adjustments to what he was doing, only using the bare minimum in order to defeat them. It wasn't difficult; they were very predictable once he learned their movements.

Argus hoped that he had learned a lot more about them than they did about him. He rolled over onto his side and tried to sleep.

_Hurry Reya. They want to learn about us. We can't let them. _For some reason, his instinct told him that this was important.

After what seemed like only a few minutes, the door slid open. Argus instantly awoke and got up. A man was pushed in and the door was closed again. Argus recognized this man.

"You're Sester, the psychostrategist who helped Avon?" he asked.

"Yes. You're Argus." Sester identified.

"What are you doing here?"

"I could ask you the same thing," said Sester.

"How did you get here? Do you know who they are?"

"I did not know that you were on Papos. Does that mean that your ship is here?"

"We are not going to get very far by not answering each others questions," remarked Argus.

Sester smiled. He was still feeling dizzy and was finding that standing made him nauseous. In the shuttle, they had kept him in a rear compartment. He had not been able to see anything of where they were going. When they arrived, he was brought to another medical centre and subjected to a series of even more comprehensive tests before bringing him here. It had left him feeling shaky and he had difficulty in maintaining his balance.

"You don't mind if I sit down," said Sester. Even before Argus replied, Sester dropped heavily down on the ground.

Argus was glad of the opportunity to sit. He was still tired.

"It would be more useful if we trust each other; at least enough to share what we know of our current situation. Since our hosts seem to be interested in both of us," Sester said.

Argus nodded. His instincts told him that he could trust Sester to this extent.

Sester proceeded to tell Argus what little he knew. Argus did the same.

"It's an invasion of some kind then. Most likely of the entire planet. They used an EMP wave to give themselves an advantage," summarized Argus.

"It appears so. From what I saw in the medical facility on the planet, they appear to be testing people. Although we're the only two they seem to have brought on board their ship," said Sester.

"There may be others we haven't seen."

"It may be. But something tells me, that we are the only two."

"Your psychostrategist's instinct?"

"Yes. And you tell me they are looking for Avon?"

"Yes. That was the first question they asked me."

"Interesting."

"What does your psychostrategist skill tell you about that?"

"They are identifying people who possess exceptional abilities and trying to find out as much about us as they can. But they do seem to have an unusual interest in Avon."

"At least they don't seem to want to dissect us to find out," said Argus.

"Well, not for the moment, anyways," said Sester. He suddenly dropped his voice to a whisper, "You say that they fed you after the challenges?"

Argus said in the same whisper, "Yes."

Sester said, "I want to try something. Next time they do that, let's attack the guards. Once they put the tray down. We will attack them together."

Argus thought it was a not a bright idea for a psychostrategist.

_Or maybe the scrambled your brain when they were testing you._

Seeing Argus's reaction, Sester said, "Trust me."

The way the psychostrategist had emphasized "trust me", made Argus agree.

_You're up to something,_ thought Argus.

"Alright," he replied.

They continued the rest of their conversation in a normal tone.

* * *

Cally had been watching Avon turn restlessly in his sleep as she lay next to him. One of the disadvantages of telling their host that they were a couple, meant that the man felt that they only needed a single bed.

When they had first entered the room and saw the bed, Avon had joked to Cally that her honour was safe because he was too tired to do anything. Then he lay down and promptly fell asleep.

It had not taken long for the nightmares to come.

Because she had always been able to "sense" Avon, Cally felt that she was experiencing the nightmares with him. She did not know the details but she could feel his fear, his guilt, his constant sense of being used and betrayed, his horror and outrage and great inner torment as well as physical pain. There were so many feelings from him that they flooded her in a jumble. Even though she only felt them as if through a thick filter, it was already enough to prevent her from sleeping. She could not imagine what it was like for him.

At times Avon called out Anna's name, at times Blake's, and a host of others she did not know. And once he had called out her name.

Avon woke up in a start. He was shaking and his body was drenched in sweat; he felt exhausted. It had been so long since he had experienced the nightmares that they all seemed to have flooded him at once. He had a blinding headache.

Avon turned his head and saw that Cally was watching him. There was great concern on her face.

"I'm sorry," she told him.

"Why? There is nothing you can do. Both of us knew this was going to happen."

"No. It's not that. I know that you do not like having people see you like this. You cannot stand their concern."

Avon sighed. "Do not apologize Cally. The problem is mine, not yours." He sat up slowly, grimacing at the pain this caused his knee.

"You're not going to try to get more sleep?" Cally asked as she also sat up.

"What's the point? Did anything happen while I was trying to sleep?" he asked.

"There was some commotion earlier on. There was much weapons fire. I saw some people running and soldiers chasing them. I could not make out any details. I think one of them was wounded. I don't think the soldiers found them. I saw them searching after the noise ended," Cally told him.

"There was bound to be some resistance," said Avon. As she was talking, Avon noticed how tired she looked.

"You look tired Cally. Did the speakers outside keep you awake?"

The loud message to the citizens of Papos was still blaring outside.

Cally could not tell Avon that it was his nightmares which had kept her from sleeping. He already had enough to bear. She hadn't even noticed the speakers.

"Why do they keep repeating the same message? Surely they must recognize that everyone knows there is a curfew now," said Cally.

"It is designed to wear down resistance. You should try and get more rest Cally. Do not worry about me. I'm not going anywhere. You will not have my nightmares to keep you awake this time."

"You knew?"

"You're a terrible liar."

"It's one of my faults," she told him. She gave him a brief smile.

"I'll try not to hold it against you," he said. There was a hint of a smile on his face. He got up off the bed with Cally's help and crossed over to a small desk.

"What are you going to do?" Cally asked him.

"I am going to think of a way to communicate with the ship which does not involve getting us killed first."

"That will be useful. You will wake me up if something happens?"

"Of course."


	17. Chapter 17

Chapter Seventeen

Reya stretched as best she could in the cramped maintenance tunnels of the _Justice_. She was watching red uniformed engineers working on fixing the damaged components of the weapons and shield systems. They were thorough, methodical, careful and...

_Much too slow. Have these people never heard of deadlines?_ thought Reya wryly.

They did not seem to be able to understand the alien nature of the ship's technology. It confused them, even after a day of working on it.

The enemy engineers had been able to follow ORAC's printed instructions easily enough; so the engines, the computer and the life-support systems were now operational. They were able to fix everything, which they were familiar with, very quickly. But when it came to the alien technology, they were at a complete loss.

Reya was getting very impatient with them.

_I need to rescue Argus and we have to save the crew. But it's no good if these engineers can't fix enough of the ship._

The red uniformed computer techs had not been able to get around Zen's security protocols either. Whenever they tried to interface their own computer units into Zen, their systems got scrambled. Reya suspected that either the technologies were too incompatible, or it was an aspect of Zen's security protocols; perhaps something which Avon had instituted.

The vulnerability of the computer systems was something Reya had been concerned about but it seemed that Zen was capable of protecting itself, at least against these invaders. It was one less worry for her.

Reya had already found the sonovapor canisters she would need and hidden them in the clothing storage room; the one area in the ship the invaders had no interest in.

_Now I just have to get over to the other ship and find Argus._

It was time for the next stage of her plan.

* * *

The bio-tech which the booming voice had promised Argus, proved to be the same willowy man, in the green uniform, who had attended to him in the _Justice_ medical bay. The one who had taken an inordinate interest in his body.

The bio-tech had entered with two guards; who remained by the door, hands ready on their rifles.

Argus groaned when he saw who it was.

"What's wrong?" asked Sester. The two men had been trying to rest.

"I've seen this one before," said Argus with distaste.

"Who is he?"

There was no more time for answers or questions as the bio-tech reached them and instructed Argus to lie down so that he could be examined. Sester was told to stand to the side.

"Your body is strong. It stood up well to the stress," the bio-tech told Argus as he began examining him.

_Stress? That's an interesting word for it,_ thought Argus.

The man was feeling the extent of the bruising. He seemed to be taking much too long for such a simple task. A look towards the guards by the door told Argus that something even more unpleasant was in store for him if he resisted.

The watching Sester now understood why Argus had such a negative reaction to this man.

"There does not appear to be any internal injury," said the bio-tech.

Argus tried to ignore him. Unlike the rest of the invaders, the man examining him seemed to be the talkative type, keeping up a constant stream of chatter during the examination.

_I prefer being tied up and beaten_, thought Argus.

"Does it take much maintenance to keep up this mass?" the man asked. The examination now extended to the muscles which did not have any bruising. The way the man touched him reminded Argus too much of the way Reya touched him.

_I am NOT your type_, Argus thought angrily. It took all of his self-control to not put his hands around the man's throat.

Sester could see that Argus was becoming increasingly angry. The bio-tech seemed too pre-occupied to notice.

The bio-tech did not seem insulted or concerned that Argus did not respond or pay any attention to his attempts at conversation. When he finally finished his "examination", the bio-tech applied a hand wand over the bruises. The instrument exuded a warmth which seemed to penetrate directly into the muscles.

"I cannot give you any medication for the pain, but I can do something about the bruises," the man told him. "This should reduce the swelling."

Argus did feel less sore after the man was finished.

When the bio-tech was done, the next set of challengers entered the room. Sester was now directed to sit against the wall, watched over by a guard.

Argus recognized the men who now stood surrounding him. These were the ones who had beaten him the previous day. The experience of beating Argus had seemed to give this group more confidence.

_I guess we will find out if it was just the exhaustion yesterday or not_, thought Argus.

It did not take long to find out which; as the challengers found to their dismay.

Sester found the contest fascinating. It was very enjoyable watching Argus in action. The man had an ease about him which made the fighting look easy; even though Sester knew it was not.

_It is like a chess game for you. Each movement is calculated to minimize effort and maximize effect and at the same time sets up position for the next move, which you have already anticipated._

After Argus dispatched this group, there were a few minutes of breather before the next group came in. He sat down and rested.

"That was quite impressive," said Sester.

"I'm glad you're enjoying it," said Argus dryly.

"Have you ever played chess?"

"Avon told me about your obsession with chess," said Argus.

"Did he? Why would he do that?" asked Sester.

"He told me many things about you," replied Argus.

"All negative, I'm sure," Sester said wryly. "I do not blame him. It was never personal."

"Yes, I'm sure that's what you tell yourself at night," accused Argus.

"I do not need to justify myself to you," said Sester coldly.

"And how about to Avon?"

"That is between the two of us."

The next group of challengers came in. As expected, this group was slightly better than the last one. Argus had no problems with this group either.

_This is interesting_, thought Sester. _You are not just anticipating movement. You are actually guiding your opponent's movements. It would be a shame if you do not play chess. And it must be very interesting between you and Avon when you are together._

As Argus rested between rounds Sester said, "I can see why they are interested in you. You see the fight very differently than they do. You actually see beyond the fight."

"I'm not _your_ type either," said Argus coldly. He was very tired of people who seemed to be interested in him. He was very tired of the constant feeling that he was being put on display.

Sester laughed. "You misunderstand my intentions."

"I'm tired of people having intentions towards me," Argus said.

"I can see that. It must have been uncomfortable having the bio-tech working on you."

"I'd rather not talk about it," said Argus.

"That's understandable."

"They haven't done anything with you yet," said Argus, trying to change the subject.

"Other than the brain scans and medical exams. They appear to be waiting for something," Sester told him.

"I don't think that's good for you."

"You may be right. But I do not worry unless I know there is something to worry about."

"You don't think being captured is a good enough reason to worry?"

"I only worry when there are no options left; not when I do not know what the options are."

Argus laughed. "Is this what a psychostrategist sounds like?" he asked.

"You've never met one before?" asked Sester.

"No."

"Neither have they."

The next round of challengers came in and kept Argus busy. By the final round of challenges, when they had worn Argus out again, Sester had learned a great deal about their captors; including their level of cruelty.

Watching them beat Argus when he could no longer fight them, brought up unpleasant memories of what had been done to Avon back at the Special Detention Centre. Sester had avoided those sessions when he could. Watching them do it to Argus, made him ill.

Argus did not cry out once, which made them hit him even harder. The only thing they did not do was hit his head. They must have been under orders not to.

This time the booming voice waited longer before telling them to stop.

Sester was not surprised by Argus's abilities or defiance. Argus would not have been there if there had not been something exceptional about him the invaders wanted to test. The psychostrategist found the looks on the soldier's faces even more interesting. As the contests progressed there was a growing mixture of anger, frustration and fear; from all of them.

The voice ordered the soldiers and the guard watching Sester, to leave the room. Argus continued to stand in defiance.

"Are we going to have a one-sided conversation this time?" asked the voice.

"What do you think?" asked Argus.

"You must know that we will find him eventually."

"It will not be with my help."

"Why must you make it more difficult on yourself?"

Argus laughed cynically, "You are not going to tell me that all of this will stop if I tell you?"

"No. You are correct. It will not stop. But I do control the level of injury they are allowed to inflict on you."

"Do your worst. I will not tell you anything."

The voice did not speak further.

Argus sat down slowly, grimacing at the pain.

Sester said, "I think I should start worrying. About you."

"I'm fine," said Argus. He did not tell Sester that he expected Reya to rescue him. Argus was certain they were being monitored; and he did not trust the psychostrategist enough to tell him.

"You have a different definition of fine than I do," said Sester.

"I am fine as long as I can stand and fight."

"They're still interested in Avon." Sester dropped his voice to a whisper, "Do you think you can manage what we discussed earlier?"

Argus replied, also in a whisper, "You still want to do this? You realize we don't stand a chance."

"Yes. I have a reason, which I will tell you later. Follow my lead. Can you do that?"

"Lead on. I'm sure there is at least one area that isn't bruised yet."

* * *

When Cally woke up, the sun was streaming through the window. All was quiet. If she closed her eyes and did not get up, she could almost pretend that it was a morning full of promise for the day. It was a long time since she had one of those.

_When did I get so pessimistic_? she wondered. _I never used to be like this_. Since the genocide of her people, Cally had found her own outlook slowly changing. She used to have the optimism of youth and the outlook of the Auronar. But she had lost too much and experienced more than most Auronar did in a lifetime.

Cally turned her head to look around the room. Avon was sitting in the same position she had left him the night before. She did not need her own special perceptions to know that he was under great stress; she saw it in the way he sat, the way his shoulders were slumped in weariness.

As she watched him work, Cally wondered why she had always been drawn to him; why she had always understood him.

Avon wore a hard shell of cynicism, like a shield, rarely allowing anyone to get close. His fierce independence was a defiance against a life of being used and manipulated by others. He held onto facts and logic, the two things which had never betrayed him.

_You never hid what you were, did you? You chose your own path and you didn't care if others thought less of you for it._

Though Cally often disagreed with him, she had always respected his honesty.

_You lived most of your life only seeing people in shades of darkness. It must have been a very lonely life._

"Did you try to get any rest, Avon?" she asked him.

At her voice, Avon turned around. He had almost forgotten that there was someone else in the room.

"No," he told her.

"It is quiet now," she remarked.

"Yes. The messages stopped broadcasting a little while ago. I suspect something is about to change."

"Any idea what?"

"It is difficult to speculate with limited information. But if we assume that the goal of the invaders, is to invade and not to destroy, then they must restore some of the infrastructure of the city. Without it, the city will slowly die. The communications capabilities will most likely continue to be disabled. That is the easiest way to contain large scale resistance."

"That still does not help us then."

"It does if the soldiers have to start interacting with the citizens of the city. So far they have only followed rigid military procedures."

"All human beings are fallible?" Cally asked sardonically. She knew it was always his position.

"Of course."

Cally was aware of something else from him.

"You have already thought of a way to contact the ship?"

"Yes. We will need a thief."


	18. Chapter 18

Chapter Eighteen

"CITIZENS OF PAPOS, THE CURFEW IS LIFTED. WE WILL BEGIN TO RESTORE POWER TO YOUR CITY. DISTRIBUTION CENTRES HAVE BEEN SET UP IN THE MEANTIME FOR ESSENTIAL ITEMS. REGISTRATION BY ALL CITIZENS WILL BE REQUIRED. OBEY ANY ORDERS GIVEN TO YOU BY THE SOLDIERS. ANY DISOBEDIENCE WILL BE PUNISHED."

This new message was now repeated throughout the city.

Cally was watching from the window as people began nervously leaving their homes.

"You were right," Cally said to Avon. "Something has changed."

"It was a logical assumption," said Avon.

"At least they care if people starve or not."

"That is not why they are doing it."

"You don't think they care if people starve or not?"

"Oh they do care. Just not for the reasons you think. Even the most passive person will think of resisting if the choice is to resist or starve. They are removing that incentive and at the same time they are establishing the next level of controls."

"You may be right," said Cally.

"Of course I'm right."

Avon could feel a flood of memories threatening to overwhelm his mind again. So far he had been able to hold them off but with the lack of adequate rest, it was becoming increasingly more difficult.

Cally instantly realized something was not right. "What's wrong Avon?"

Avon could hear her question but he could not do anything about it. She seemed far away. Reality was slipping away from him, replaced by memory. He desperately tried to reach her but he couldn't tell what was real or not anymore. The vision in his mind became his reality.

Feelings of hunger and thirst. Exhaustion. Pain. Loneliness. Being forced to eat something which turned his stomach because he didn't have a choice. It was either that or starve. Or being beaten. He was so tired. Everything had become a struggle. They wanted control over everything. They wouldn't even leave him this.

Cally could feel that Avon was being overwhelmed. On impulse, she reached out and took his left hand in hers. She tried to project a thought into his mind, "Avon they are only memories. They are not real."

The shock of the intrusion into his solitude brought Avon back to the present.

_Unfortunately, they were real. _Avon wondered if he would ever be free of what had been done to him. He looked up at Cally. There was a look of concern on her face again. For some reason, at this moment, it was not as bad when it came from her. Perhaps because in this set of memories, the loneliness was so unbearable.

"Thank you, Cally." He squeezed her hand briefly and let it go.

"You said earlier that we need a thief?" Cally asked, changing the topic and giving his mind something else to focus on. She was glad that he seemed to accept her concern and help, even if it was only briefly, but she could sense that it was all he would take from her at present.

"Yes. I wish we had Vila here," he told her. "Don't tell him that," he added.

* * *

At that moment, Vila wished that he was anywhere but on Papos.

_I knew it was a mistake. Why do I always make this mistake? Why does no one ever listen to me?_

His arm hurt a lot where he had been shot. For some reason, he couldn't feel his fingers. Vila was miserable. There was not even soma or alcohol to alleviate the pain or his sorrows.

Vila was certain he would never be able to use his arm or his hand again. His days as a master of anything would be over. The one thing he was good at, the one thing even Avon respected him for, was gone.

_Jenna won't need to convince Argus to let me go. He won't want me anymore. No one will want me anymore._

Vila was feeling very depressed.

In a bed at the far end of the room, the tech engineer, Allren lay faced down. He was moaning weakly. His clothes were soaked with blood.

"He's burning up," said Jenna.

They all knew Allren needed immediate medical attention. The projectile had to be removed from his back; but they couldn't bring him to a medical facility. The invaders controlled all of those now.

"He didn't want to come," Ture muttered miserably. "It's all my fault. If I didn't go first, he would have stayed and he wouldn't be dying now."

Jenna had never seen the computer analyst in such distress before. He was normally laid back and unemotional. Nothing rattled him.

_I did this_, Jenna thought. _It was all my fault._ _If I hadn't insisted on taking such a stupid risk they wouldn't have come after me. They refused to abandon me and I led them straight into danger. They warned me and I didn't listen. They are better friends than I deserve. I let them down. _

She felt disgusted with herself. _I was never like this before. I always used to be on the other side, warning people against taking stupid risks. What is wrong with me?_

Jenna knew what was wrong. It was something she had avoided facing for along time; something which she was still not ready to face. The guilt which was eating her up inside, was now getting other people killed.

_Maybe it's not Vila who should leave the ship, it's me.

* * *

_

Restin, the man Cally had found to help them, proved to be a generous host. Not only did he have his youngest son vacate his room for them, he also provided food from the supply he had gathered for his own family. Despite his insistence that he had no appetite, Cally had persuaded Avon to eat in order to maintain his energy level. They were eating a plain meal of nutriwafers and supplement drinks while discussing their next move.

"What is your plan?" Cally asked Avon.

"Most of the soldiers use a personal comm device."

"Yes. But they are of limited range," said Cally. "How does that help us?"

"It is limited because it is designed that way. It is missing a couple of key components which will boost its range. We have a substitute for the main one," said Avon, holding up a beautiful blue crystal; the one which Avon had negotiated such a good price for. Their shopping trip seemed like ages ago.

"Once the invaders begin interacting with the populace, it should not be too difficult for an enterprising thief to relieve one of them of a comm device."

"What about the other components you require?" asked Cally.

"I can adapt the remaining ones," replied Avon.

"Leave the finding of the thief to me," Cally told him.

"Your special abilities are proving quite useful."

"I am out of practice."

"Be careful Cally. When you go out there. Not all thieves are as harmless as Vila."

"I thought you said Vila was useless? Not harmless," Cally said jokingly, recalling something Avon had said to her on their first meeting.

"Vila is multi-talented," said Avon with a trace of a smile.

* * *

Reya looked at herself critically in the mirrored wall of the clothing storage room. She sighed.

_Argus had better not laugh_, she thought. _Or he can rescue himself._

In her hours of observing the enemy, Reya had noticed something interesting, there was a lack of any females.

It didn't mean there were none. Just not ones she had observed. Reya was not about to take the risk. She had decided to take on the persona of a male. The clothing stores on the _Justice_ proved very helpful. Not only did it provided a vast array of clothing to meet any mood or inclination (she was afraid to ask what kind of mood would possess people to wear some of them), it also contained all manner of interesting appearance aids.

At the moment, Reya's normally short to medium-length hair was cut to the same military length which all of the enemy soldiers seemed to have. With the use of various facial enhancement devices, she had also made her face more masculine. She looked more like her younger brother now.

As Reya stared at her own distorted image, it shocked her. Seeing herself as a man, brought up unpleasant memories; memories of a lifetime spent futilely trying to win her father's love, by trying to be more like her brothers.

_Would it have made a difference, father? Was it really that I wasn't born a male which bothered you? Or did you just reject me?_

Reya turned away from the mirror; she couldn't look at the lie anymore. She was never one to dwell on the past and she had more important things to do; like saving someone who did love her unconditionally, despite all of the mistakes she was sure she had made Thoughts of Argus helped her refocus her mind and drive away the melancholy.

_Now, time to relieve an unlucky volunteer of their uniform._

Reya had decided to impersonate one of the red uniformed soldiers. The enemy techs and engineers had the freedom to roam the entire ship. They were largely ignored as long as they appeared to be busy doing something tech-like and carried tools. She guessed that it would not be that different on the enemy ship.

She had already identified several possibilities which would fit her purposes; techs who tended to work more isolated than the others, because of the system they had been assigned to; and whose body size was near hers.

Reya watched from the maintenance tunnel until her selected target was alone.

_I wonder what this one did to get this prime assignment_, thought Reya sarcastically.

The poor enemy tech had been assigned to study the waste disposal units.

_Waste disposal units? _thought Reya. _This enemy has very strange priorities._

She wondered if it was a result of their rigid thoroughness. They often seemed to do things which seemed very unnecessary.

Reya quietly slid the covering panel aside and exited the tunnel. She came up silently behind the enemy technician. Even if he had not already been so absorbed in taking readings from the panels in front of him, he would not have heard her. She was quick and efficient; with a strike to the base of the skull. It was almost as beautiful to watch her in action as it was to watch Argus.

Within seconds, the man had been knocked cold, dragged to a nearby supply room and stripped of his uniform.

* * *

Cally watched the flow and ebb of the activity around her. She was aware of it on several levels. There was a great deal of fear and uncertainty; as well as anger and confusion. This time she was searching for a very different set of qualities than the ones which had pointed her to Restin.

Avon had been right. Some of the enemy soldiers were now interacting with the populace. Their presence was meant to be a reminder and a control.

Cally was looking for the people who preyed on others in times of chaos. It did not take long. Everywhere she looked, she seemed to find them. It was very depressing.

Sometimes Cally found it hard to find the good in people anymore. She had been through too much, to not develop a realistic attitude. Sometimes it was hard to fight the kind of cynical attitude which Avon had adopted towards people. But she was still determined to look for the good and the bad.

Cally's attentions were drawn to a young man who was casually walking along the avenue. He seemed to be very clumsy, constantly bumping into people and walking on. What made her interested was that he had also accidentally bumped into a couple of the enemy soldiers. He was very audacious despite the severe reaction from them; but he had an ingenious smile and an easy apologetic attitude which kept him out of trouble. Cally smiled, she had found her helper.

Cally made her way towards him; coming up behind him. The next time he was about to "accidently" bump into someone, she quickly reached out, grabbed his hand and applied a wrist lock. The training sessions with Reya Reve were proving very useful. Her actions had been so quick that the young man's intended victim walked on without noticing.

"Ow. You're breaking my arm. Let go of me," the young man protested, not too loudly for fear of drawing attention. He tried to pull away. Unfortunately this caused himself greater pain. "Ow!"

"I am about to break your wrist, not your arm," corrected Cally as she quickly steered him into a secluded alcove. "I would stop struggling or it _will_ break."

The young man stopped resisting. He had no desire to have a broken wrist.

"What do you want from me?" he asked sulkingly.

"How much have you stolen today?" asked Cally.

"I don't know what you're talking about," said the young man defiantly.

"Do you want me to search you?" she asked.

He looked her over. "You don't look like a Sec."

"A Sec?" asked Cally puzzled.

"You know, one of those security people. A Sec."

"I see. You are correct. I am not one of those. I have a proposition for you. One which may be very lucrative for you if have the courage. What is your name?"

"People call me Palty."

Cally let go of his wrist. "Palty, how would you like to earn one hundred credits by obtaining something for me, from one of the enemy soldiers?"

"I have all kinds of stuff from them. Look," Palty reached into his pockets and started pulling things out..

"You realize that what you are doing is dangerous?"

"What are you? My mother? Besides I'm the best. I could steal something from you even if you're looking right at it."

Cally refrained from saying that she didn't believe him.

"I want one of their comm units," Cally told him.

"Oh. I don't have one of those." He looked at her slyly. "I want two hundred credits."

Cally smiled. "Done."


	19. Chapter 19

Chapter Nineteen

When the two guards came with a meal for the prisoners, Argus and Sester were ready. The plan was for Argus to grab the tray and throw it at the guard who remained at a distance, covering the one with the tray. This would give Argus time to cross the space and disable the guard before he had time to react. In the meantime Sester would take care of the guard who had been carrying the tray.

As the guards approached, Sester saw that Argus had already positioned himself to move quickly. He also noticed that, just as when he was fighting, the rebel leader's body was completely relaxed.

The psychostrategist knew that Argus was very aware of him; that he was ready to act the moment Sester gave him the signal. The guard bent down to put the tray on the ground. Sester saw the question in Argus's eyes.

_Now?_

Sester held his attention and deliberately made no indication for action. Even though Argus's body was completely still, Sester felt as if he was holding back a powerful tide.

The tray touched the ground.

Sester did not need to hear the next question either; he could see it in his partner's eyes.

_What are you doing? We are losing the opportunity._

Sester continued to hold the other man's eyes with his and made no signal for action.

The two guards left.

The two men were still staring at each other.

"Well, that was interesting," said Argus. "Do you plan to do this often?"

Sester smiled. His voice dropped to a whisper. "I had to find out for certain."

Argus also lowered his voice. "You wanted to know if they could really hear us or not?"

"Yes, I needed proof."

Argus nodded. "You have your proof. In future, if you wish my cooperation, you will tell me what is going on."

Sester smiled again, "Of course."

Argus looked at the psychostrategist with suspicion. His instinct told him that Sester had been after more than this.

"Do not manipulate me again," he warned Sester.

"I give you my word," said Sester.

"The only thing you have achieved is that I do not trust you," said Argus.

"Did you before?" asked Sester.

"Only as far as we were useful to each other."

"Then nothing has changed there."

Argus realized that Sester was right.

"But you have a better idea where my strengths lie," said Sester. "And we have established that we can work well together despite these handicaps."

Argus was not sure he liked this man; but Sester's assessment was correct.

The ease with which Sester did this also told him something else.

"You are a dangerous man," said Argus.

Sester smiled again and did not say anything.

"You wanted me to know that?" asked Argus. "You must know I cannot be intimidated."

"True. But now we can build an informed partnership. A trust that is based on knowing what each other is capable of. That is the only way both of us will survive this experience," Sester told him.

"I thought you were not concerned, until you knew what your options were," said Argus.

"I am building those options."

Argus laughed.

The door slid open and two guards entered. Argus sighed and got up. He was glad he hadn't eaten anything yet.

"Not you. Him," one of the guards indicated Sester. "Come with us."

"Save me some food," Sester said to Argus, as he followed the guards out.

_Now we find out what the other options are_, thought Sester.

* * *

Cally put the communication unit on the table in front of Avon.

"Thank you, Cally. Was it difficult? How is the situation outside?" asked Avon as he picked it up and immediately began examining it.

"As you had predicted. The enemy soldiers are starting to interact with the populace. It was not difficult finding people who prey on others during the chaos. They seem to find the misery of those around them as the perfect business opportunity. I was able to locate a suitable thief."

"That sounds suspiciously like a cynical attitude Cally," he told her even as he picked up a tool and opened up the panel on the device.

"Being realistic is not the same as being cynical," she responded.

Cally had been unpleasantly surprised by Avon's remark. After her earlier thoughts, that she had so far avoided developing a cynical attitude, it was quite a shock to hear that comment from him.

Avon gave her a brief smile and returned to his work. For him being realistic and being cynical were the same. He knew it was not for her.

"This is more advanced technology," remarked Avon as he began making the necessary connections with his improvised equipment. "But it is not alien. More a natural progression from our own current level of knowledge. It should not take long."

Cally sat down at the table and watched him work. It almost felt like old times.

"Do you really think I have become cynical?" Cally asked him.

Avon looked up at her. It did not take special perception to recognize her melancholy. He put his tools down.

"You are the least cynical person that I know Cally. Do not allow my jaded sensibilities bother you."

"Sometimes I can feel myself changing and I do not know if it is for the better."

"Change is a part of being alive. You will never be in danger of becoming like me, if _that_ is what is worrying you. _You_ actually have a heart."

"And you are saying that you do not?"

"That is what most people believe," he said with a dry smile as he picked up his tools again.

"You're a fraud Avon."

"I will add that to my long list of faults," he said, as the final connection was made. The unit lit up.

"Will it work?" asked Cally. She leaned forward excitedly.

"Let's find out." Avon adjusted the frequency and depressed the comm button.

"Argus, this is Avon. Are you receiving us?" There was no response.

He repeated. "This is Avon and Cally. We are ready for teleport. Are you receiving us?"

When there was still no response, he readjusted the frequency and tried several more times.

"Perhaps the device requires more power," suggested Cally.

"Perhaps." Avon also had another thought but he suppressed it quickly; he wasn't sure if she was able to pick up his thoughts sometimes but he didn't want to take the chance.

"I think it's time to find another thief," said Cally. "I'll go and obtain another power source. Do you require anything else?" she asked.

"No. Be careful."

"I will," said Cally as she set off to look for the additional equipment.

Avon knew the device worked. He knew it was not insufficient power which prevented communication.

Argus would have been trying to find them since losing contact the first day. Of that, Avon was certain. He also knew that Argus would have had ORAC keep an active monitor on the comm channels and for any locator signals. If he had been able to.

This lack of response could have many reasons. None of which was good.

* * *

The man who sat across Sester was different from the others. The dark blue uniform was the least of these differences. The man possessed a self-assurance and easy superiority Sester recognized. This was the enemy's equivalent of an alpha class.

"My people have been treating you well?" the man asked. The voice was friendly and open but his manner made it clear that he expected obedience.

There were some people who were born leaders; there was no question this man was one of those. The bruised man Sester had exchanged wits with back in the circular cell was another.

"If this is your definition of well, perhaps you should look for a higher standard," replied Sester.

The man smiled. He was looking forward to this conversation.

"I should qualify my question. I meant have they been treating you well as a prisoner?"

"Better than some of your other prisoners," replied Sester.

The man smiled even more and said, "I have been looking forward to meeting you."

"And so have I," said Sester. "Your people were waiting for you, weren't they? That is why they did not do anything after the initial tests. They do not have the initiative to proceed without further orders. From you."

"I am glad we are not going to be wasting our time," the man told him.

"My time is never wasted," said Sester. "It is obvious you knew who I was before I arrived on Papos. Do you plan to tell me who you are?"

"You do not need to know."

As the conversation progressed, Sester had a feeling of déjà vu. This kind of verbal battle was something he had participated in for three years; except that this time he was the prisoner, not Avon.

When they were finished, the man said, "You do not know what a pleasure it is to be able to speak with someone who is not predictable."

"That is not the reason why you had brought me here."

The man smiled again.

Sester was becoming very tired of this man's smile.

The blue uniformed leader said, "If you mean, why you were captured? You are correct. But as to the reason I had you brought to me, it was purely for my own amusement."

_This is very much like what I did to Avon, _thought Sester. There was no way that this man knew what had been done to Avon. Very few people outside of the Special Detention Centre knew that.

Sester was certain that there was another purpose.

The enemy leader said, "As enjoyable as this has been. I cannot take up anymore of your time. I am afraid you have other business." The man called the guards back in. "Bring him to the lab," he told them.

The guards pulled Sester to his feet.

"A word of advice. Cooperation will be much less painful," the leader told Sester as he was being led out by the guards.

* * *

Avon was tired.

The normal remedy was to sleep; but for him, sleeping brought horrifying nightmares and even more tiredness. Staying awake was not a better option either. As he became more tired and his concentration slipped, memories intruded into his consciousness and interfered with his ability to distinguish reality from memory. The memories were never pleasant; some were as bad as the nightmares.

_I need Cally_, thought Avon. Using her telepathic ability, she had been able to bring him back to reality before. Without the drugs, she was the only one who could help him keep the horrors away. He hoped she would return soon.

Avon needed to think. The discovery that Argus was not able to answer the comm signal required some new planning; but he was too tired to think.

_Maybe I will just rest my eyes for a bit_, thought Avon. He leaned back in the chair, crossed his arms across his chest and closed his eyes.

There was a commotion outside. Avon opened his eyes and listened. There was a rush of sound approaching. Avon hastily put the modified comm unit in a drawer behind him. Brown uniformed soldiers burst in through the door and surrounded him. Avon calmly put the tool he had been holding down on the table, the tip pointed towards the drawer, and lifted his hands in surrender.


	20. Chapter 20

Chapter Twenty

Argus lay down slowly. Every movement was painful. He had just finished another bout of challenges and they had beaten him again at the end. Argus shifted his body carefully, trying to find a less painful position; there didn't seem to be one. Argus sighed and settled for not moving. No matter how much it hurt, he had to get some rest.

The challengers he was facing now were much more difficult. For the first time, he had faced the same group three times.

Even though this last group was the best so far in terms of skill and physical ability, they were still hampered by a lack of imagination and adaptability. They did not have the boldness to take calculated risks; they only acted when they were certain of the outcome.

From the beginning, Argus had put self-imposed limits on himself in order to prevent the enemy from knowing what he was really capable of.

Unfortunately for the enemy, their own limits were real weaknesses, not self-imposed ones; else Argus would never have been able to survive against so many of them, for so long.

_I don't ever want to spar again after this_, thought Argus. _When I finally get out of here. Except maybe with Reya. _He already had enough to last a lifetime.

Sester had not returned from where he had been taken yet. Argus wondered what the enemy intended for the psychostrategist. If his own treatment was any indication, it could not be anything good.

To take his mind off the pain, Argus thought of Reya and what they would do after all of this was over.

_Maybe we can find a nice secluded beach on a quiet planet. By a beautiful lake. We can swim together and enjoy the sunsets._

Argus realized that he didn't know whether Reya knew how to swim or not.

_That doesn't matter. There are many things we can do on a beach besides swim. _He smiled. Thinking of her always made him feel better.

He wondered how far she had gotten in her plans to rescue him. Argus knew the difficulty of her task but he had faith in her. He would just have to be patient and wait.

_You know how good I am at that Reya_, he thought wryly.

There was something which bothered him with the last challenge. Something had changed. The booming voice which spoke to him at the end had not asked him about Avon. He hoped it was not because they had already found him.

* * *

Reya had been watching Argus for the past hour. She had gained access to the security control booth which monitored the rebel leader's cell. As she had suspected, wearing a red uniform, carrying a satchel of tools and acting as if she had something to fix had given her access to most areas of the ship. She had not yet attempted any guarded areas yet.

Reya had not been able to find Argus yet, but a briefly opened door had revealed this control booth. When she entered the booth, one of the screens had shown Argus's last series of challengers; and the beating which had been administered at the end.

The initial sight of Argus had relieved one worry; he was still alive. But as she realized what they were doing to him, she had to fight the desire to force the booth observers to tell her where he was; so she could rescue him immediately.

_I cannot afford to be angry right now_, thought Reya as she fought the rising anger. The _Justice's_ repairs had not yet reached a level which would allow them to survive when they regained control of the ship.

_I have to be patient. Why are they doing this to you?_

When the beating ended and the soldiers left, Reya watched as Argus lay down to rest. She could almost feel his pain; she wanted to be there with him, to hold him and comfort him. What she could see of his body, was a mass of bruises.

_We will go away somewhere after this is all over and I will help you forget the pain._

This was as bad as the day when Argus had been tortured on the agricultural planet. Then, the only thing she had been able to do to strike back at his torturers, was to kill the guard.

_I will make these people pay for what they are doing to you_, thought Reya.

She knew the perfect revenge. _I'm going to need some equipment._

Reya exited the control booth.

* * *

Sester was tired. He was nearing exhaustion. The metal bands which strapped him to the chair were uncomfortable and did not allow for anything other than shallow breaths. Various instruments surrounded his head, each one projecting a beam which seemed to penetrate into his brain. Sester was not aware of any technology like this in the Federation.

There was a holographic projection directly in front of him. It was a puzzle to be overcome. He could move the pieces just by concentrating on them. There were a myriad of solutions but with each passing moment more pieces disappeared; with the possibility of destroying whatever solution he was building and forcing him to find another one before it was too late.

He was trying to focus on building a solution to the current puzzle but fatigue was making it increasingly difficult to maintain his concentration. Whenever he failed, he was subjected to greater levels of pain. That made the fatigue worse and increased his chances of failure on the next puzzle. It was a vicious cycle.

These puzzles tested one aspect of his mental ability and skill; with each one progressively more difficult. With the pain and fatigue, they were also testing his strength of mind and willpower. This was very similar to what they were doing to Argus but on a mental level.

What made it even harder were the constant brain scans which were done while he was performing the tasks. These were very similar to the scans they had done on him before; the ones which made him dizzy and nauseous.

Sester knew that he could have refused the tests but that would only have resulted in pain; and most likely they would have found more damaging ways to test him.

As the blue uniformed leader had suggested, Sester chose to cooperate. But he cooperated on his own terms. Sester made the same adjustments which Argus had made. He deliberately limited himself to certain levels of thinking and analyzing. The green uniformed scientists, who worked on him, would be able to discover enough information about him to satisfy their experiments; but they would never find out what he was truly capable of.

By the time they finished with him and subjected him to a final battery of brain scans, Sester was so exhausted that the guards had to lift him from the chair.

He wondered if this was how Avon felt after they had forced him to work the long hours in the lab under the constant pressure of the conditioning.

* * *

Avon was amused. Even for him, this was a strange reaction to being taken prisoner by the brown uniformed soldiers.

The soldiers actually seemed afraid of him; which seemed odd considering he could barely move on his own. Even though he offered no resistance and there were a dozen soldiers crowding the room, they had restrained his hands behind him. Discovering that he couldn't walk because of his knee injury seemed to confuse them until their unit leader came in and directed them to find something to carry him on.

They all seemed to know who he was. There were even more soldiers outside when they finally carried him out to a waiting shuttle; which Avon thought was a bit excessive.

"Kerr Avon." They all whispered his name as he passed.

His name was spoken with a mixture of fear and awe. While it was flattering, there was no question he was a prisoner.

_Who are these people? And what do they want with me?

* * *

_

When Cally returned to Restin's residence, she found the entire family distraught and Avon gone.

"I'm sorry, Cally. There was nothing we could do. They broke down the door and just took him," Restin told her.

"Did they hurt you or your family?"

"No. They weren't interested in us at all. They didn't even speak to us. They went straight to the bedroom."

Cally could see that Restin was very upset and could feel that he felt partially responsible; because he had not been able to do anything to help Avon.

"It was not your fault," Cally reassured him. "There was nothing you could have done. Do you know where they took him?"

"They had a shuttle waiting outside," replied Restin.

This was very unwelcome news. If they had taken Avon off-planet, it made following him almost impossible. Other than the invaders, none of the citizens had access to working transport of any kind yet.

"Cally, who is he?" asked Restin.

"Why do you ask?" asked Cally.

"The soldiers who took him, they knew who he was. They knew his name. I think they've been looking for him."

This was even more unwelcome news. It appeared that the enemy soldiers had deliberately targeted Avon.

"Did Avon say anything before they took him?" asked Cally.

"There wasn't time. It was so fast," replied Restin.

Cally thought,_ Where did they take you Avon? What do they want with you?_

Cally was very worried. She had been watching Avon slowly lose control of his mind. In this state, he was very vulnerable. If he did not get help soon, she did not know what would happen.

She wondered if the soldiers had taken the comm unit.

* * *

Argus was still trying to rest when the door slid open and two guards half dragged Sester through the opening. They brought the psychostrategist to the centre of the room, next to Argus, and dropped their burden on the ground. Without even looking at Argus, the guards left.

Sester lay where the guards had dropped him. He was too tired to move. Both men were too exhausted or too sore to make any effort to get up or even look at each other.

"What did they do to you?" Argus asked in a whisper. He had noticed how pale and tired the psychostrategist had looked when the guards dragged him in.

The two men carried on two conversations; one for the benefit of whoever was monitoring them, the more interesting one was in a whisper only they could hear.

"I feel like I've been through a wringer," whispered Sester.

"That makes two of us. What did they have you do?" Argus asked.

"They had me solve puzzles. They want to find out how I think," replied Sester.

"Did they succeed?"

"Only as far as they have succeeded with you," said Sester.

Argus smiled. "Let's hope they never realize it."

Sester nodded. "Agreed."

"Did you notice anything about the route they took you on?" asked Argus. He was trying to gather information for their eventual escape.

Sester gave Argus a detailed description of the route he had been taken; including the security control booth he had spotted nearby when a red uniformed tech had exited the room. "Now let me get some rest before I pass out."


	21. Chapter 21

Chapter Twenty-One

Avon wasn't sure whether he should continue to be amused. The soldiers had loaded him onto the shuttle and brought him aboard a ship. At least he assumed it was a ship; he had been kept in the rear compartment which did not have a scenic view, so it was hard to know for certain.

Once on the ship, he had been brought to a medical facility. They were now in the process of healing his knee. The implant they had discovered during their examinations caused great interest. They asked him all kinds of questions about it; which he did not answer. He had no interest in telling his captors anything useful; at least not until he knew more about them.

Some of the things they found seemed to puzzle and concern them. He suspected they had found residual traces of the various drugs he normally took.

Avon's refusal to tell them anything did not result in reprisals of any kind. They just accepted it and continued with their examinations.

They answered none of his questions but they were always polite and respectful. Avon found that he was constantly being stared at, either by the green uniformed men who attended to him or the other-colour uniformed soldiers. He was feeling as uncomfortable as he did on the _Justice_, when the crew kept looking at him surreptitiously to see if he was about to collapse. This group was not staring at him for the same reason; of that he was certain.

There was no question that he was a prisoner though. He was carefully guarded and was always restrained in some way.

Their attitude did not make any sense.

After the physical exams and the healing of his knee, the brain scans began.

* * *

"Where are you going, Jenna?" Ture asked Jenna in a soft voice, trying not to wake Allren. He was applying cold compresses to his friend's forehead. The fever had not broken; they were all worried.

Ture had barely gotten more than a few hours sleep since his friend had been shot. Guilt caused him to stay by Allren's side; refusing offers of help from Jenna and even the injured Vila. If Ture had been able to trade places with his injured friend, he would have.

Vila snored softly in a nearby bed.

"I'm going to find some help for Allren," said Jenna. "He's going to die if he doesn't get some medical attention soon."

"How do you plan to do that?" asked Ture. "Nothing's changed. We still can't use a medical facility. We can't risk having to answer questions we would prefer to leave unanswered."

"I'm going to see if I can find some underground help," said Jenna.

"You mean one of those criminal doctors who are not allowed to practice?"

"Yes," replied Jenna.

"There's usually a reason they're no longer allowed to practice anymore," pointed out Ture.

"We don't have many options," said Jenna. "It's better than nothing."

Ture was about to say that "better than nothing" was not really a high enough recommendation for him; but he couldn't think of any better course of action.

"There aren't enough of us to come after you this time," warned Ture. "I'm not leaving Allren."

Jenna nodded. "I understand. I don't want anyone to follow me."

* * *

Cally had found the modified comm unit which Avon had hidden in the drawer. With the tool as a pointer, it had not been difficult. All she needed now was to find someone to attach the stronger power unit to the device. She decided to find Palty again. The young man had proven useful again in acquiring the second power unit. She was certain he would know someone who could help her; and would not ask too many questions.

Cally headed out towards the main commercial avenue which was the young thief's normal haunt.

* * *

Avon was feeling increasingly dizzy from what they were doing to him. The scans were not painful, but they left him disoriented and nauseous.

It was definitely not amusing anymore.

The green uniformed scientists had actually apologized to him. The side affect he was feeling was the result of the difference in their physiologies. The scanners were designed for their own people, not humans. They assured him that there was no permanent damage being done.

_How comforting_, Avon thought sarcastically.

The scans seemed to produce more looks of puzzlement and concern. Avon wondered if the damage to his mind actually showed up on their instruments. They appeared to possess a higher level of technology than the Federation.

A group of brown uniformed soldiers entered the medical facility.

"He's wanted," said one of them.

The scientists immediately unstrapped Avon from the examination table. The soldiers put a set of restraints on him and then helped him down.

Avon nearly fell as he put weight on his right knee; and found to his dismay that it was still painful.

"I thought you fixed it," said Avon to one of the scientists.

Some of them actually looked embarrassed. "Yes, we did," replied the scientist Avon had directed the question to. "We fixed the damage done by the overload of the circuits."

"You returned it to the way it was before the circuits overloaded?" Avon asked, as he realized what they had done.

"Yes. Those were our orders."

_No wonder they were so interested in the implant_, thought Avon. Someone else had found the presence of the device in his knee to be useful.

_Another thing to thank Servalan for. When we finally meet again, _thought Avon. He already had a long list of things to "thank" her for.

_This time, I will not make the same mistake, Servalan.

* * *

_

The blue uniformed leader stood up as Avon limped slowly into the room, helped by two guards.

"Kerr Avon, it is a pleasure to finally meet you," the man said to him. "Please sit."

The man indicated the seat in front of the desk. The guards helped Avon into the chair.

"Leave us," the leader told the guards.

The man looked at Avon intently as the guards left.

"I have been looking forward to this meeting for a long time. You have become a legend among my people," the leader told Avon when they were finally alone. "You are held in great regard."

"You have a strange way of showing it," said Avon. "Unless it is your custom to bind people you respect. And subject them to complete examinations and brain scans."

"My people told me about the unfortunate side-effects of the mind mappers. I can only add my apologies," the leader told him.

"Are you going to apologize for these too?" Avon asked sarcastically as he indicated his cuffed hands.

The man smiled. "I had forgotten that you are supposed to be sarcastic."

"You seem to know a lot about me," said Avon.

"We have been studying you for many years. Ever since you held back the fleet at Star One."

"You're the aliens from Star One?" asked Avon in shock. This was not welcome news. If they were, then they might be after some revenge.

"I am surprised at you, Avon. Did I say we were?"

"You haven't said you weren't."

The man smiled again. "True. I didn't."

"You're not going to tell me?"

"No. For our purposes, you do not need to know," the man told him.

"You could not have known I was coming here. It was not a planned destination," said Avon.

"That is true. It has been very difficult to track you. At times, we thought you were dead. Which would have been very disappointing. Recently, we obtained news that you were on a new ship. You can imagine our surprise when we found that ship orbiting Papos. It was the perfect opportunity for us. I believe you Terrans call it serendipity."

"For you, perhaps," said Avon. "When you did not find me onboard, you guessed that I would try to contact the ship? That is how you found me?"

"Yes. We knew that if anyone could find a way given the obstacles, you would. How did you know we had boarded your ship?"

"I didn't," said Avon. "Not for certain."

The leader smiled. "It is good to find people who do not disappoint. I imagine with your intelligence, that you often find people very disappointing?"

"Constantly," said Avon. "What did you do with the crew?"

"We only found Drel Argus onboard. The others appear to have gone down to the planet."

"What have you done with Argus?" Avon asked. He wondered if Commander Reve would have gone down to Papos without Argus. Avon doubted it.

_Those two are obsessed with one another. And Argus would not have left the ship unmanned. That may mean that these aliens do not know Commander Reve was onboard. If there had been time, she probably would have hidden so that she could rescue Argus later._

"He is fine. For the time being. He is currently undergoing testing. As will you. We regret the necessity of having to hurt you. But do not mistake our respect for weakness. We will do whatever it takes to achieve our goals."

_What are these goals? They cannot simply be after a smal__l trading centre like Papos. I need more information._

"You are not going to ask what those goals are?" the leader asked when Avon remained silent.

"You will only tell me that I do not need to know. I don't like wasting my time," said Avon.

The leader smiled again. "It has been good to find out that the person we respect is worthy of that respect."

"I would prefer less respect and more information," said Avon.

"I know you would."

"And I know that you are afraid," said Avon. "Afraid what I would do with that information. That is why you will not tell me. You need me, _not_ to know."

The leader was no longer smiling.

The guards came back in and led Avon out.

* * *

Argus and Sester were asleep when the door slid open. Argus instantly awoke and turned towards the door. He stifled a groan at the pain his quick movements caused.

_I must remember not to do that, _he told himself. He pushed himself slowly up to a sitting position.

A contingent of guards brought a familiar person in. It was Avon.

_They did find you after all, _thought Argus. _No wonder they stopped asking me about you._

By now Sester had also awoken and had sat up as well.

The guards helped Avon to sit on the ground before exiting.

The three men stared at each other.

"You look…" began Avon as he addressed Argus.

"Don't say it," said Argus with a scowl. He did not need Avon to tell him that he looked terrible.

Avon smiled. He turned to Sester, "I was not expecting you here."

"Neither was I," replied Sester.

"I thought that Servalan would have killed you by now," said Avon.

"You know we are both too valuable for her to kill," replied Sester.

"Yes, and too dangerous for her not to kill," remarked Avon in a dry tone. "Now that the preamble is over, can either one of you tell me what is going on?"

Sester's voice dropped to a whisper. "They cannot hear us if we keep our voices low enough. But we should keep up a normal conversation as well."

Avon nodded.

"It appears to be an invasion," whispered Argus.

"At least a prelude to one," said Avon.

"They are testing the probabilities for success," said Sester. "They are being very thorough. They will not invade unless they know that the odds are in their favour."

"That explains the testing," said Argus.

"There is a major fault in their assumptions," said Avon.

"Yes. They think that they can defeat us if they understand us," said Sester. "But from their testing of you, Argus, they have not been able to. Even when the odds are in their favour and they have been able to study your movements."

"From what I have seen, their science and technology are much more advanced than ours," said Avon.

"Have they started testing you yet?" said Sester.

"Just medical ones. They appear to have been looking for me. Because of what I did at Star One. They want to know how I was able to hold back the invasion fleet," said Avon.

"That explains why they kept asking me about you. Are these the same aliens from Star One?" Argus asked with interest.

"That's uncertain," said Avon. "Their leader was less than informative when I talked to him."

"This leader, was he wearing a blue uniform? And he has a tendency to smile a lot?" asked Sester.

"Yes. The smile is irritating."

"It must be the same man who talked to me," said Sester. "In fact, he sounds like the same man who talks to you sometimes after the challenges, Argus."

"Wonderful. Maybe you can point him out to me when we finally get out of here," said Argus.

"Watching them fight you has been very informative," said Sester.

"I'm glad you find it both entertaining and educational," said Argus sarcastically.

Sester's psychostrategist mind was busy building a logical construct from the information they possessed.

He said, "They know they can beat us technologically. But from what happened at Star One, they know it is not enough. Those hours, when Avon used a single ship to hold out against an entire invasion fleet; they do not understand how it was possible. Just as they do not understand how it is possible that you can hold out against so many of their own fighters."

"It's not that difficult," said Argus. "They are good fighters. Especially the latest batch. But it takes much more than experience and skill to be an exceptional fighter. None of them seem to be capable of that."

"It is that lack they are trying to understand," said Sester.

"They haven't been able to so far," said Argus.

"That must worry them. From what I've observed, they don't like it when they don't understand something," said Avon. "They have a need to understand."

"Yes. It is the reason why they are afraid of you, Avon," said Sester. "And to a lesser degree you, Argus. That is why you have had to suffer at the end of each session. They do not understand why they cannot beat you. That fear makes them dangerous and cruel. "

"You are saying that is what Avon has to look forward to when they start testing him?" asked Argus. He was very concerned.

"I can take care of myself," said Avon coldly. He hated that his own weaknesses would become a problem again.

"How long ago did the drugs wear off?" asked Sester. He too was concerned about Avon. Sester knew even better than Argus, what had been done to Avon at the Detention Centre.

Avon turned to him sharply. He had not expected the question. The progressive loss of control over his own mind put him at a great disadvantage when dealing with Sester.

"Long enough," said Avon.

"How are the nightmares and the control of the memories?" Sester asked.

"I can manage," replied Avon flatly. He refused to concede anything.

"Survival has always been your one of your strong points, hasn't it?"

"You should know that," said Avon dryly.

Sester nodded. "They may not treat you the same. They appear to have a great deal of respect for you."

"Their leader made it very clear that their respect does not interfere with getting what they want," said Avon.

The door to the cell slid open again.

All three men wondered if another person was about to be added to their little group.

A group of challengers came in, along with several guards.

Argus sighed and got up.


	22. Chapter 22

Chapter Twenty-Two

Jenna headed towards the main commercial avenue. She was determined to find some help for Allren and Vila.

Without any contacts on Papos and with no knowledge of the underground culture of the city, Jenna did not have many options open to her. One option was to find a helpful medical practitioner who would not give them away. The other options involved finding one of the criminal elements of the city; then pay them for information on a doctor who specialized in being discreet.

Jenna had always found a monetary exchange much more reliable than relying on the kindness of strangers. She walked slowly along the busy avenue, trying to understand the flow of the action around her.

_I wish Vila was here_.

The thief seemed to have a talent for being able to spot less than legal activities.

"Jenna." Someone from behind her called out her name; a very familiar voice.

"Cally," said Jenna as she turned around to face the young woman. "We've been hoping to find you."

"Jenna. Avon's gone. The soldiers came and took him. I think they took him off-planet. Did you spot any shuttles leaving the planet? We tried to contact the ship but we didn't get a response," said Cally.

"They took Avon? I don't understand," said Jenna. "Why would they do that? We're trapped here like you are."

"You're trapped too? How?" asked Cally. "Who came down with you?"

"Vila. And we ran into Ture and Allren. Allren and Vila are injured. Allren very badly. That's why I was out here. Looking for help."

"What happened?" asked Cally.

"They were both shot. Allren still has the projectile in his back. It has to come out. And he's suffering from a high fever."

"I might be able to help," said Cally. Being a field medic, she did have some experience treating various wounds; though she had never dealt with a projectile wound before.

"Let's get you back to the residence then," said Jenna.

As Cally followed Jenna, they continued sharing what had happened to them.

"Vila and I came down shortly after you and Avon did," said Jenna. "We were caught by the systems shutdown as well."

"So we don't know what's happening on the ship," said Cally.

"No," said Jenna. "They might have been caught up in whatever is happening too. Did you say that you tried to contact the ship? Do you have a working communication device?"

"Yes. It was something Avon adapted. But it doesn't have enough power to reach the ship. I was trying to find someone who could boost its power output."

"Allren might be able to do it. If he was well enough," said Jenna.

"Let's take care of Allren and Vila first then," said Cally.

* * *

"Cally!" exclaimed Vila the moment she entered the room. His face lit up.

"Hello Vila."

Vila tried to get up from the bed but it was difficult with one arm in a sling.

Cally came over to help him up.

"How is your arm?" she asked.

Vila was about to answer her when he realized that someone was missing.

"Where's Avon?" he asked.

"The soldiers captured him. I don't know where they've taken him."

Vila's face was crestfallen. Seeing Cally had given him hopes that their situation had improved.

He said, "You had better take a look at Allren first. He's much worse than me." Vila lay back onto the bed. He had a depressed look on his face again.

Cally went over to where Allren lay, tended to by Ture.

"Hello Ture," said Cally.

"Cally. Can you help him?" he asked. He immediately got up to allow her to examine his friend.

Cally had never seen Ture so worried before. She and Ture had spent a lot of time together when he was helping them out on their second attempt to infiltrate the medical research centre on Tingash.

"I will try my best," said Cally as she sat down on the bed. She began to examine the injured man. Allren was unconscious and did not react to her. As Jenna had told her earlier, it did not look good. The wound was infected and the projectile had to be removed.

"The projectile will have to be taken out," Cally told Ture and Jenna. "I can do that. What worries me is his fever. The wound has become infected. It requires medication."

"I will go find some," said Ture. "Just tell me where to look and what to look for." He grabbed onto the chance to do something more active than waiting helplessly while his friend slipped away. Now that Cally was here, he knew he could leave Allren in her hands.

"That poses the same problem as before," said Jenna. "The soldiers control all access to medical supplies and any medical help we need."

"Then let's steal some," said Ture.

"I know a thief who can help us," said Cally. "He's very good. He helped me steal a communication unit for Avon from one of the soldiers."

"Do you think you can find him again?" asked Ture.

"I can give you a description of him. He has a regular area where he works. Just tell him I sent you," said Cally. "And bring many credits. He will require payment."

"Well…" said Ture. He and Allren had left behind most of their belongings in the Federation Security building when they escaped.

"Don't worry about the credits," said Jenna. She reached into her pocket and pulled out several credit markers and handed them to him. "There should be enough on those to satisfy your thief."

Cally gave him a description of Palty and a list of suitable medications. Ture went off to find the thief.

"What do you need to remove the projectile?" Jenna asked Cally as they prepared for some improvised surgery.

At the other end of the room, Vila had been listening with his eyes closed. He had not missed the conversation about the new thief.

_They've already found a replacement for me_, he thought. _And I'm not even dead yet_.

This made him even more depressed.

* * *

By the time the soldiers came to take away Avon for testing, Sester and Argus were very concerned. Both of them had spent a sleepless night as Avon had struggled with his nightmares. Neither of them said anything to Avon. They knew that he would hate their concern.

"What happens when they find out that he is no longer the man they were expecting?" Argus wondered aloud, but not loud enough for the monitors to pick up.

"That is hard to tell. I do not have enough information to make an accurate prediction. They have built such a legend surrounding him, it would have been difficult to meet their expectations even if he had been undamaged. With the damage, it will be even harder for him," replied Sester in the same low tone.

"He has you to thank for that. And Servalan," said Argus.

"I am very aware of that," said Sester.

"We need to find a way to help him. They may respect him as a legend now. But will it be enough to protect him?" said Argus.

"You are very protective of him."

"Remember that."

Sester smiled. The warning could not have been clearer.

The cell door slid open. The soldiers took Sester to his next testing session.

Argus lay back on the ground and tried to get more rest. He was constantly exhausted now. Though his spirit was still strong, his body was beginning to fail him.

In limiting himself, he had allowed them to hurt him too much; but he was still determined to deny the enemy the knowledge they wanted. He knew it was a race now between his eventual collapse and being rescued.

* * *

Avon was strapped to a chair in one of the laboratories. The setup was almost the same as the one which had been used on the psychostrategist. The one difference was the presence of the blue uniformed leader.

"Our scans reveal extensive damage has been done to your mind," said the leader.

"Does that make any difference?" asked Avon.

"It does if you are no longer able to do what you did at Star One," the leader told him.

"Why don't you release me, give me a ship and I will show you if I am still able," said Avon coldly.

"We have too much respect for your abilities to allow you that opportunity," said the leader.

The leader signaled one of the scientists. A holographic puzzle appeared in front of Avon.

_This must be the same test they gave Sester._

Another one of the scientists explained the rules of the puzzle to him.

"If you concentrate on the appropriate pieces, the brain monitors will pick up your thoughts and move the pieces for you."

"It would be a more useful test if you did give me a ship," Avon remarked to the blue uniformed leader.

"I am sure it would be more useful for _you_," said the blue leader. "Then you would be able to escape and we would have to find you again."

"You are holding Argus," said Avon.

"Are you saying that you would not escape because we have him?"

_Would I_? thought Avon. _He is not Cally. Or Vila. Or even Jenna. This is an interesting question._

"You have many things to find out then," said Avon in reply. _As do I._

The blue uniformed leader nodded thoughtfully.

"Why did you hold the line at Star One?" he asked. "It was an action inconsistent with your character."

"You think that understanding the reason will give you insight into how it was achieved?"

"No. It is an inconsistency which is outside the scope of our experiments. It is for my own personal understanding."

_If you do not understand the relationship between the two, then you will never find out what you want to know, _thought Avon. _No matter how many tests you perform._

"I have no interest in enlightening you," said Avon.

The blue uniformed leader returned to the task they were there for.

"Unfortunately, in order to make this a useful experiment for our purposes, we will have to introduce an additional stressor."

The leader picked up a small device, made some adjustments to the controls and then depressed a button.

Avon cried out at the intense pain which radiated from his knee; his body was arched against the metal bands securing him to the chair.

The pain stopped as suddenly as it began. Avon slumped in the chair. His breathing was laboured.

He glared at the leader but did not say anything.

The man nodded. "Good."

He made more adjustments to the small device in his hand.

This time it was a steady pain which increased incrementally. The leader slowly increased the pain until it was just barely manageable.

"Are you still able to concentrate on the puzzle?" asked the leader.

"What if I said no," said Avon in a strained voice.

"Then I would be disappointed," said the man. "You would still be a respected legend but you would quickly become a dead one. Do not mistake our resolve, Avon."

"It appears you have left me no choice," said Avon.

He began to concentrate on the puzzle in front of him.


	23. Chapter 23

Chapter Twenty-Three

Cally checked Allren's wound again. It looked much better. With the projectile removed and the medication to fight the infection, he was finally stabilizing. His breathing was much less labored now.

"How is he doing?" asked a concerned Ture.

"He is out of danger. He should make a full recovery eventually," replied Cally.

"Why hasn't he woken up? It's been two days since you removed the projectile," said Allren.

"You must be patient," said Cally. "Give him time. You should get some rest yourself. I'll watch over him."

Ture touched her arm, "Thank you, Cally."

"You're a good friend to him," said Cally.

"No. I'm not. If it weren't for me, he wouldn't have gotten shot," said Ture.

"He made his own decision to follow you," said Cally. "I don't think he would hold you responsible."

"That's what makes it even worse. He came because he was my friend. We always faced dangers together. Even though he knew it was a mistake, he would not let me face my mistake alone. It was my mistake. He should not have to pay for my mistakes."

_This whole planet has been a mistake_, thought Ture. _I let him down the moment we set down on it. I wouldn't blame him if he doesn't want to be partners anymore. _

Jenna was lying on a blanket on the floor nearby, trying to sleep, and not succeeding very well. Guilt was never a good sleeping aid. She could hear Cally and Ture's conversation. The more she heard, the worse she felt. She wondered if she would ever be able to sleep again.

* * *

Reya returned to the security control booth to check on Argus. He was facing another set of challengers. His two companions were watching from the sidelines; under guard. All three men looked in rough shape.

_Everything is ready Argus. I am just waiting for them to finish the repairs._

She wished she could project her thoughts to him. It had been hard not to react emotionally to what they were doing to him. But she knew that Argus needed her to be strong and to stay objective.

_Don't die on me, Argus. I don't know what I would do without you._

She had not realized how much a part of her he had become; not until she was in danger of losing him.

The invader technicians and engineers had been making methodical studies of the _Justice's_ systems. Many things still seemed to confound them, but they were finally making headway in the repairs.

_It should take another two days_, thought Reya. _Though with this group, I should be more conservative in my estimates._

She knew Argus could not wait much longer than that. Reya could see it in the way he carried himself. He was reaching the end of his physical endurance.

It made her ill to watch them beating him. Reya could almost feel the impact of each strike. She did not know why he appeared to be limiting himself. They had sparred before and she knew that his skills were better than this.

_You must have a good reason_, thought Reya.

Even within the limits, he was still a superb fighter. She loved watching him in action. Sometimes she could tell the outcome just from his first few moves. She knew he was able to read his opponents very easily and was able to choreograph the outcome. She could also tell that his opponents had no idea what he was doing.

_It is not right; allowing these people to beat you like this_, thought Reya. _I will not allow them to get away with it._

Reya's plans for vengeance were already in place.

_Everything is ready for you Argus._

Reya wondered what the invaders wanted with Avon and the other one. They did not seem to be subjected to the same treatment which Argus was getting. She knew that they were taken away periodically; though she had not been able to discover where.

Reya wished she could hear what they were talking about. She was certain that they must be planning something. She hoped that by the time the repairs were ready, the three men would still be able to move on their own.

Reya was surprised that none of the security people in the monitoring booth had asked about her constant presence. They all seemed to be preoccupied in watching the screen which showed Argus's cell. Whenever there was any action in the cell, they watched with fascination. Reya had also discovered that the red techs were considered almost an invisible presence. She doubted if the security personnel even registered that the red uniform technician who was constantly in and out of their booth, was the same one.

It facilitated her movements tremendously.

* * *

Avon and Sester talked softly to avoid the monitors; as Argus slept. They were all exhausted from being tested but Argus had been deteriorating at an alarming rate.

"You know what they are doing to him?" Sester asked Avon.

"Yes. They are testing how far they can push him. Just as they are doing with all of us," said Avon.

"Yes. But for him, once they push past his limit, and he shows that he can no longer adapt to the increasing level of difficulty, they're going to beat him to death."

"You can see that already?" asked Avon.

"I am never wrong. The last few beatings have become progressively worse. You must have noticed."

Avon nodded, "They are stacking the odds so that he will lose."

"They need him to lose," said Sester. "You see their reaction when they get him down. The relief on their faces. With us, it is a much more personal challenge. Only their leaders and the scientists get to see our tests. With him, it is a strike on their soldiers as a whole. More of them have seen him and all of them must know by now what has been happening. He is a much more visible threat. That is why they must bring him down."

"At this rate, he's not going to be able to last much longer," said Avon.

"I agree."

"Have you been able to build a profile on our hosts yet?" asked Avon.

"A limited one. They are doing all of this because they do not understand our abilities. The flash of inspiration, the intuition, the leaps in logic, the ability to instantly adapt and learn; it worries them. I suspect that the advancement of their civilization has been a steady progression; not marked by the periodic leaps human civilization has seen. That is why they are trying so hard to understand us. What you did at Star One scares them. Everything they know, tells them that what you achieved was impossible. With Argus and myself, anyone with similar abilities would have served their purposes; we were just unlucky enough to be the ones they had access to. But they have been looking specifically for you."

"They seem to have been very lucky so far," said Avon.

Argus rolled onto his side and groaned. The two men looked at him, when Argus was awake, he rarely acknowledged the pain.

"I would never have thought modesty to be a characteristic of being a psychostrategist," said Avon cynically.

Sester ignored his comment and continued, "There is one other thing they do not appear to have; that instinct for danger which focuses the mind and can make some people even more dangerous. That is why they are so harsh with him and are so fascinated by you."

"And you?" Avon asked.

"That is one ability I do not possess. What they are interested in with me, is the gift of the psychostrategist. The ability to accurately predict behaviour within the chaos which is humanity."

"And what is your ability to predict the behaviour of a people which follows a steady progression?"

"Child's play, given enough information." Sester smiled as he realized Avon understood what he was driving towards. "You would have made an excellent psychostrategist, Avon."

"I could never stand the humanity," said Avon. "Could you devise a strategy to get us out of this?"

"Not just out of this," whispered Argus, as he joined the conversation. He rolled towards them, grimacing at the pain.

"You should get more sleep," Avon told him.

"They're coming again soon. And I can't sleep with both of you talking," said Argus as he gritted his teeth and sat up. He said to Sester, "You said that we worry them. The three of us. Can you strategize something we can do, which will make them reconsider any further plans to invade our galaxy?"

Avon and Sester looked at each other.

"Well? Is it possible?" Argus asked again.

"You mean, show them why it would be unwise for them to invade humanity, even with a technological advantage?" asked Sester.

"Make their odds unacceptable," mused Avon. "That may be achievable in the short term. But it will not stop them indefinitely."

"We don't need _long term_. We just need long enough for humanity to equalize the disparity in technology."

Avon nodded. "If Sester is correct about their limitations, once our level of technology nears theirs, they must fear that they will no longer be a match for us. That must be why they are starting to move now."

"Agreed," said Sester. "I can build a strategy. But I will need to gather more information about them in order to build an effective one." Sester asked Avon, "Have you seen their leader recently?"

"Not in the last few sessions," said Avon.

"I haven't seen him since the first time," said Sester.

"The bio-tech that tends to you seems eager to talk," Avon said to Argus.

Argus snarled, "Don't remind me. Every time he touches me, I want to break both his arms."

Sester said, "Avon is right. The bio-tech is the only one who seems to want to talk about something, other than what they are after."

Avon asked Argus, "How much more of the challenge can you take?"

Sester added, "We need you to hold out. The bio-tech may be our only source of information."

"Yes, I heard you earlier," said Argus. "You think they will kill me once I fail the challenge."

"You were supposed to be asleep," said Avon.

"And you could have been quieter," said Argus. "Don't worry about me. As long as I can keep standing, I think I'll be alright."

"Do you think you can start talking to the bio-tech?" asked Sester.

"You mean start being friendly to him," asked Argus. There was a strong note of distaste in his voice.

"We would settle for being less hostile," said Avon.

"Yes. We need to establish a relationship with him. Get him talking," said Sester.

"What I have to do for humanity," said Argus. "I would rather be beaten to death."

"Your choice is one or the other," said Avon.

"Thanks for making that clear," said Argus dryly. "I think I'm going to have to go on a long vacation with Reya after this."

"Then you had better make this good," said Avon.

"And no wise cracks from either one of you about this, or I'm not doing it," said Argus.

Both the analyst and the psychostrategist suppressed smiles and nodded.

"All of this will be academic if we can't get out of here," said Avon.

"Don't worry about that," said Argus.

"You have a plan?" asked Sester.

"Reya will rescue us."

"You seem very certain of that. Certain enough to not make alternate plans?" asked Avon.

"Only a fool would not make alternate plans, even with a certainty. But as for being certain of Reya, yes I am very certain of her," said Argus.

"Who is Reya? I have no knowledge of this person," said Sester.

Argus replied, "Commander Reya Reve. She is from the Athol Territories in Sector Ten. She was onboard to help us with a problem. I asked her to hide when we were boarded; so that she could rescue me later."

"But your ship must be full of enemy soldiers by now. How do you expect her to help? She has most likely been captured already," said Sester as he assessed this new information.

"You said that the enemy feared the three of us because of our exceptional abilities? If they knew her, she would also have been included with us," said Argus.

"I hardly think you are objective enough to make that assessment," said Avon.

"Who is she to you?" Sester asked Argus. He had been listening to this exchange with great interest.

"She is a friend," said Argus.

"I'm sure she would be _very_ interested to hear that description," said Avon with amusement.


	24. Chapter 24

Chapter Twenty-Four

The next time the bio-tech tended to his injuries, Argus had to remind him repeatedly that he was trying to be friendly. It was very difficult when his mind was full of a million ways to disable the man with a single blow. It also did not help that Avon and Sester, who were sitting nearby, were trying hard not to be amused by his discomfort.

The bio-tech was quick and efficient, applying various instruments to heal the worst of his injuries; but occasionally he would linger as he felt for additional wounds.

_Think of Reya. Think of Reya. Think of Reya._

When the bio-tech was touching him like this, Argus found that thinking of Reya did not help.

_I have to stay calm. Have to stay objective. Think about the plan. Aargh. I'm going to break his arm any minute now._

Argus searched his mind for something which would work. There was only one thing he could think of.

He thought of what Reya would do to the bio-tech if she found out what the man was doing.

_Yes. That's it. Think of what Reya will do to him._

Argus suppressed a smile. He was calm now; he could do what was needed.

When the bio-tech pressed carefully to explore the extent of the bruising, Argus gave a quickly suppressed groan. The man lifted his hands quickly, as if he had just been burnt. Argus had never reacted in pain before.

"I'm sorry," the bio-tech said apologetically. "I didn't mean to hurt you. You've never shown any pain before."

"That doesn't mean that I wasn't feeling any," said Argus.

The man stared at the man he had been examining. Not only had Argus never reacted in pain before, he had never spoken to the bio-tech before.

"You're talking to me now? Why?" asked the bio-tech suspiciously.

"I know you are not allowed to give me anything for the pain. But is there something else you can do?" asked Argus. It warred against his natural instincts to ask this man for anything.

Avon and Sester watched this exchange with interest. Avon knew that Argus was normally as adverse to admitting weakness as he was.

"Is it really bad?" asked the bio-tech with concern. The man had not been expecting this kind of admission.

"What do your examinations tell you?" Argus asked.

"They tell me that you shouldn't even be able to move," said the bio-tech. "But they've been telling me that for days. How are you able to do it?" The man continued with his examinations.

"It's amazing what you can do when you don't want to die," said Argus. "I know they're going to kill me if I can't beat them anymore."

"Who told you that?" said the bio-tech. There was a mixture of shock, guilt and sadness on the man's face.

Avon turned his head to glance at the psychostrategist beside him. Sester nodded. It was a confirmation of what he had said earlier.

"No one had to tell me," said Argus.

"What are you after?" the bio-tech asked, still suspicious.

"What do you mean?"

"Normally you don't like it when I do this," the man said as he slowly and deliberately stroked his hand across Argus's bare chest.

_Reya is going to kill you,_ thought Argus as he forced himself to remain passive.

"In fact, you hate it. I can usually feel the tension from your body, indicating your anger," said the bio-tech. "But not today."

_So you knew_, thought Argus angrily; but he remained detached and controlled.

_Reya will enjoy taking you apart and I will enjoy watching her._

"You are right," said Argus. There was a tone of resignation in his voice. "I am not used to such attentions from a man. But you are the only one who does not want to hurt me."

The bio-tech looked at Argus. The man's voice dropped to a whisper. "I wish I could help you," the man told him. "But I can't help you escape."

"I understand," Argus whispered back. "I would not ask you to risk your life."

"Then what is it that you want," asked the bio-tech.

"I want to understand. No one has told me why this is happening to me. You are the only one who wants to talk to me. I do not want to die without knowing why."

From the sidelines, Sester whispered to Avon, "He's good."

Avon remarked in a whisper, "I didn't know he was capable of this level of deceit."

"Does that raise or lower your opinion of him?" Sester whispered with amusement.

Avon avoided the question. He said, "Nothing could possibly raise my opinion of you."

The man stopped his explorations and put his hand on Argus's chest. "You have done so well. You deserve to know something," the man said. "I will try to tell you what I can," said the bio-tech. "But it will have to wait until next time. I have other duties to attend to now. I will give you a timed sedative. It is not a pain blocker but at least you will be able to get some rest. They will not be back for you for another four hours."

Argus briefly put his hand over the man's hand, which was still on his chest, and said simply, "Thank you."

The unexpected touch and the warmth in Argus's tone seemed to confuse the bio-tech. For a few moments, the man stood as if frozen; then he took out a medical injection unit, made a few adjustments and applied it to Argus's arm. It was a fast acting sedative; Argus was asleep before the bio-tech had left the room.

After the bio-tech and the guards left, Avon checked Argus's eyes.

"He does appear to be asleep," said Avon.

"That was quick. It may be for the best. He needs the rest," remarked Sester.

"It would be inconvenient if this happens every time," said Avon.

"He did well. I was not expecting that kind of subtlety from him."

"For a moment, I didn't think he would do it," said Avon.

"Near the beginning. Yes. I observed that too. He really did not want to do it."

"He's a soldier. He always does his duty," said Avon with a sardonic tone. "No matter how much he doesn't like it."

"You make that sound like a vice," said Sester.

"Isn't it?"

"Always the cynic."

"You make _that_ sound like a vice," said Avon.

Sester smiled. "I have missed our talks."

"I haven't," said Avon coldly.

Sester sighed. He wondered if things would have been different if they had met on other terms.

"Avon, I recognize there are many unresolved issues between us."

"There is only one," said Avon. The coldness in his eyes reflected the coldness in his tone.

"You want to kill me? Does it not make a difference that I am the one who enabled you to escape?"

'I will never be free from what you and Servalan did to me. So do not expect me to thank you," Avon said with a cold bitterness.

Sester nodded. "For whatever it is worth, I do regret my part in what was done to you."

"I have no use for apologies," said Avon.

"But this won't stop us from being able to working together," said Sester.

"I have no problems in using you to escape our present predicament," said Avon.

"Always practical," said Sester.

"Your profile on me should have told you that."

_Not quite_, thought Sester. _But it's not the time for that._

"Then let us both be practical," he said instead.

* * *

Vila held out his hand for Cally to examine. The projectile which had wounded him had passed straight through his arm.

"I still can't feel my fingers," said Vila. "Why can't I feel them?"

The distress was clear on his face as well as in his tone. As a thief, his hands were most important to him; his survival depended on them. Without them fully functional, he was just as vulnerable as everyone else.

Cally examined him carefully; testing his hand, his fingers and his arm.

"The wound is healing satisfactorily," said Cally. "There may be nerve damage but I will need the medical scanners onboard the _Justice_ to make any accurate diagnosis."

"Nerve damage?" Vila sounded even more concerned.

"There is no need to worry, Vila. Once we return to the ship, the advanced medical facilities should be able to repair any damage you may have sustained."

"Oh. That's alright then." Vila breathed a sigh of relief. As a delta grade, he was used to bad news when it came to health concerns. In the Federation, deltas were not ranked high in terms of receiving advanced medical treatment.

"How is Allren doing?" asked Vila.

"Both of you should be able to make a full recovery, once we return to the ship," Cally told him.

"When's that going to be?"

"Allren should be well enough by tomorrow to examine Avon's modified comm unit."

Even though this was good news, Cally could not shake the feeling that contacting the ship might not be a good idea.

"What's wrong Cally?" asked Vila. He could see that something was troubling her.

"The soldiers came to take Avon almost right after we used the comm. I'm wondering if there was any connection. Or if it was just a coincidence."

They both contemplated this unwelcome new idea. If it was true, then it would add a new layer of difficulty; one which was just as bad as the one they were already in.


	25. Chapter 25

Chapter Eighteen

Avon tried to control the pain as he concentrated on the puzzle before him. The level of agony was being increased with each failure to achieve the specified objectives. As with Sester and Argus, he was restricting himself in what abilities he was using to meet the requirements of their captors. He knew he was nearing the end of his limits with the current session. They always tested him to the point where he passed out from the pain and stress. He was very near that point now.

At the last second, before he failed, Avon saw the solution and moved the pieces into position with his mind. The pain was released. He slumped forward in the chair, his head bowed in exhaustion. They would give him a few minutes to recover before continuing with the next test.

One of the green-uniformed scientists gently leaned him back against the chair and gave him some water. Despite what they were doing to him, they always remained respectful and tried to help him as much as they could. They seemed to be very pleased with his performance.

It did not stop them from hurting him though. They were very clinical and objective about it. There was nothing personal in the pain they were inflicting.

Avon closed his eyes and tried to rest. Immediately memories began to surface.

_"How much did she pay you to betray us?" Argus asked angrily. He lay on the ground in the teleport room after Avon had shot him._

The memory was so real, Avon could feel the pistol in his hand.

_Why does this memory keep haunting me?_ _Why is it important to me?_

He had not known this man for very long but for some reason, he wanted Argus to trust him.

_Avon lowered the weapon. The memory had shifted; he was now in Servalan's bedroom._

_"Are you going to stay then?" asked Servalan. Her voice was soft and hopeful. She seemed to know the war going on inside his soul as he struggled with the desire to kill her and his inability to._

_I need to kill her. I have to be able to kill her. I must kill her. _

_In this bedroom he had suffered many things from her; had experienced passion with her; and had held her as tears streamed down her face._

_You were right, Servalan. We are very much alike. But we are also not. I never made the choices you made. That is why we will always be enemies. You have to live with your choices, Servalan. As I must live with mine._

More memories were breaking through to the surface. Avon struggled against them.

_""He sold us, Avon. All of us. Even you," said Tarrant as they all stared at the figure that had entered the room._

_The man who was standing before him was Blake. But not Blake. Not the Blake he remembered. This man wore his scars on the outside as well as the inside._

_Avon lowered his gun and approached._

_"Is it true?" he heard himself asking. He did not want to believe it, but he did; because he remembered a Blake who both believed in him and who had played games with the truth in order to get him to do what he wanted. They were two men scarred and devastated by too many betrayals. The chorus of silence behind him was deafening. Blake came towards him. No! Stop! Avon tightened his finger on the trigger and pulled._

_No! Not this memory! _Avon clenched his fists, trying to fight his own mind.

As he became more tired, it was harder to maintain control. It did not help that he barely got any sleep because of the nightmares. The memories and nightmares always left him feeling drained.

He heard someone sit down beside him. Avon opened his eyes. The blue uniformed leader was looking at him with concern. Avon had not seen this man in several days; he had been hoping to see him again.

_Perhaps we can get some more answers now, thought Avon_. Though they had been able to obtain information from the bio-tech who attended Argus, they still needed more.

"The sci-techs tell me that the damage to your mind has prevented you from getting adequate rest," said the leader.

"Don't tell me you're concerned about my health," said Avon sarcastically.

"I must admit that your condition has facilitated our testing," said the leader. "You appear to have a high capacity for pain and are able to function even under great stress conditions."

_I had years of practice. Another thing to thank Servalan for._

Avon wondered when the day for paying debts would come.

"That still does not tell you why I was able to hold back the fleet at Star One," said Avon.

"That is true."

"Then what is your purpose for continuing to do this?" asked Avon. "Other than a penchant for cruelty."

"You think we are doing this to be cruel?"

"You are not doing this for my health. And what you are doing to Argus, is definitely not for his health."

"We have learned much from your tests and those of Commander Argus. Your incredible will to go on, even despite overwhelming odds, gives you the opportunity to win even when logic dictates that there is no opportunity," said the leader.

"That still does not tell you how."

"Yes. Opportunity is only useful if the capacity for winning is present," said the leader.

Avon smiled sarcastically. "But your logic tells you that we do not have that capacity."

"That is also true. But the evidence states otherwise. And we cannot deny the evidence."

"You have a dilemma then," said Avon.

"Not a dilemma. A lack of complete information."

"You believe that if you can gather enough information, then you will understand. And that understanding will give you a certain victory over us."

"You are correct," admitted the blue uniformed leader.

"And you are going to continue to test us until your information is complete, or we die," said Avon.

"Yes."

"And what happens if you don't find out before we die?" asked Avon.

"You have not reached that point yet."

"You are avoiding my question."

"You do not need to know," said the leader.

_Interesting. You almost sound defensive, _noted Avon. _Sester will find this reaction useful._

"It is time for your next test," the blue uniformed leader said. It was clear the man did not want to continue the conversation.

_Yes, very useful_, thought Avon.

While the scientists readied him for the next test, Avon wondered what the leader was trying to avoid telling him.

As the pain began again, he had to use all of his concentration on the puzzle. This time partway through the test, he finally passed out.

Argus was trying very hard not to kill the bio-tech. He was using all of his discipline to remain calm and to control his anger and revulsion. In his mind, he was running through the gamut of ways Reya could kill the man.

Now that they had developed a relationship, the bio-tech was becoming increasingly bolder. The man was proving very useful in providing information but he was also openly caressing Argus now as they conversed; dropping all pretence of a medical examination.

Argus suffered his attentions because he knew they needed the man's information.

Even when the questions had been asked and the conversation had ended, the bio-tech did not stop stroking his body until Argus gave him the appropriate responses; the increase in breath rate, the flush of the face and the quickening of the pulse which indicated arousal. Though the bio-tech never said anything specifically, from the way he was touching him, it had been very clear what he was waiting for. It was the price for the man's continued cooperation. The first time Argus realized it, it had made him ill. He had almost decided that he could not go through with it; but he knew what the stakes were. His personal discomfort did not matter.

Argus had to force himself to think of Reya in order to give the man what he wanted.

Mercifully, the bio-tech hadn't gone any further. Argus was afraid of what he would do to the man if he did.

Argus preferred the beatings. _I really need a shower._

As long as Argus satisfied the requirement, the bio-tech was even willing to talk to Sester and Avon. He was eager to tell them anything they wished to know.

Sometimes Argus wished that the bio-tech was not so helpful; then at least, he would no longer have a reason to submit to this man's attentions.

_Please hurry, Reya._

At first Avon and Sester had found it amusing, but as the bio-tech had became bolder, it was no longer. Watching Argus allow himself to be humiliated after being beaten, for the sake of their goal; made it difficult to bear. They tried to finish their questions quickly.

After the bio-tech left, Argus would roll onto his side, facing away from them and pretend to sleep. He needed to be left alone for awhile.

When he had recovered enough to talk, the two men carefully avoided all mention of what the bio-tech had been doing.

Between the information from the bio-tech and the talks Avon had with the blue uniformed leader, Sester was beginning to formulate a psychstrategy.

Allren was propped up on the bed with a soft pillow supporting his back. He had the comm unit open and was looking at the modifications that Avon had made.

"Amazing," he said to himself. "Didn't know you could use a diffuser crystal like that."

"Like what?" asked Ture as he sat back down on the chair beside Allren's bed. He had gone to get them some water. Ture extended one of the cups.

Allren looked up at his friend and took the cup. "You really don't need to be here every minute. I'm not about to die. Why don't you go talk to Cally? You must want to."

He took a sip of the water and put it down on the table.

"I would feel bad if anything happened to you," said Ture.

"Well, you're making me feel crowded being around all the time," said Allren. The other man's guilt was starting to irritate him.

"I'll sit further away then," said a determined Ture.

"That's not going to help. I need you to go away," said Allren. He said it more forcefully than he had intended.

"I'm sorry," said Ture.

"And stop saying that."

"But I am."

"I heard you the first time," said Allren. "You don't have to keep repeating it. Look we're partners. I came after you because we're partners. It was my decision."

"You came after me because I'm an idiot," said Ture.

"Well that's beside the point. Next time listen to me for a change," said Allren.

"I will."

"Now go talk to Cally and let me work," said Allren.

"You'll let me know if you need anything?"

"You'll be the first one I call."


	26. Chapter 26

Chapter Twenty-Six

Reya was angry as she observed the vidscreens monitoring the circular cell. For two days, she had watched as Argus suffered the ministrations of the bio-tech. She could not imagine how hard it was for him to remain passive and unresisting.

The man seemed determined to make Argus respond to him and for some reason, Argus was cooperating.

_You must fear for the lives of your companions if you refuse._

She knew he preferred the beatings to what the bio-tech was doing to him.

Reya could see the softness in Argus's eyes when his body began responding to the bio-tech's touch. It was a look she was very familiar with; it was the look he had when he was with her. There was also a faraway look which indicated that what he was thinking of was somewhere else.

_Are you thinking of our time by the lake? _She was sick that so intimate and private a memory could be tainted by a man who lusted after Argus's body.

_We're going to have to build many new memories when we're done here._

Reya was determined to help him forget. She wished that they could both wake up from this nightmare and find that it was not real.

_It won't be long Argus. I know I keep saying it but they've finally gotten the weapons systems up now. I'm just waiting for the shields._

Unfortunately without these basic systems, she knew that any chances of surviving an escape were minimal. She had already seen the ships. There was more than one besides this one.

The enemy techs had already exceeded her conservative estimates.

Reya wished ORAC were functional. With it, she knew that she could have helped speed up the repairs.

* * *

"This device didn't require a stronger power unit," said Allren to the gathered group.

Jenna, Cally, Vila and Ture were arranged on various pieces of furniture around his bed. They were listening to his report on the comm unit which Avon had adapted.

"But it didn't work," said Cally.

"How do you know that?" said Allren.

"We couldn't raise the _Justice_."

"The problem is not with the comm unit. It is fully functional and has more than enough range to reach any ship in orbit." Allren had been very impressed with the adaptations that Avon had made. The injured engineer had to admit that it was not something he would have been able to do.

"Are you saying that the message did reach the ship, but for some reason no one was able to respond?" asked Jenna.

"Yes," replied Allren guardedly. The engineer was still not sure of Jenna. It was her actions that had led them all into danger.

"Have you tried again?" asked Jenna.

"No. Cally asked me not to," said Allren.

Jenna turned to Cally and asked, "Why not?"

"They came for Avon shortly after we used the comm," explained Cally. "It seemed a prudent precaution."

"You think the two are related?"

"There is no way to be certain. But it is a possibility."

"How would they even know that Avon was here?" Jenna pointed out.

"The ship is up there," said Vila. "If the ship is here, they must have assumed that Avon was here too."

"That is assuming that they were able to take over the ship and find that Avon was not onboard," said Jenna. "But out of all the millions of people on this planet, how would they know that it was Avon who was using the comm? They could just be targeting anyone who was able to get a message off-planet."

"The man who took us in said that soldiers who came knew who Avon was. They called him by name," said Cally.

"That doesn't make any sense. We didn't even know we were coming here," said Jenna. "This was just the closest place with the supplies we needed."

"Can we get back to the part where no one was answering from the ship?" asked Vila. He had been fixated on this piece of information since Allren had suggested this possibility. It worried him; and it worried him that no one else seemed to be worried about this. He hoped that for once someone would take his concerns seriously.

"You are right, Vila. We have more pressing concerns than debating the reason why the invaders would want Avon," Cally said to Vila, though she was looking pointedly at Jenna.

* * *

The Federation President was toying with the idea of having Senior Controller Tarvin demoted for wasting her time. She had Tarvin send a ship out to Papos over a week ago, in order to investigate the possibility of irregularities there. Servalan had just received a report from him. She immediately had him called in to explain the report.

"Are you telling me that everything is operating normally on Papos?" asked Servalan. "But there is still no word on the whereabouts of psychostrategist Sester?"

"Yes, Madame President. The agents on the scout cruiser have reported that they have made an assessment of Federation Security forces there. They have found nothing unusual. Security controller Dayto reports that Sester left Papos days ago. It appears a report from Sester was relayed to my office through the normal channels," reported Tarvin. "I have had a copy forwarded to you."

_Something is definitely wrong then, _thought Servalan. Tarvin did not know that Sester sent all of his reports directly to her under a coded signal.

_This means Sester is in trouble. Or likely dead._

"What about the presence of the _Justice_? Your report says that the ship left shortly after it arrived and there is no indication where it is currently?"

"That is correct, Madame President. The tech specialists from surveillance division suspect that there has been a malfunction in the tracer implanted in Drel Argus."

"Have your agents been able to establish what the _Justice_ crew was doing on Papos?"

"It appears that they were on a supply run to pick up some equipment," said Tarvin.

Servalan knew that Avon had an infinite capacity for causing her trouble. She did not believe that he would have gone to Papos for such a mundane reason. And having Drel Argus's tracer malfunction just when psychostrategist Sester had gone missing was too much of a coincidence for her.

_Obviously sending agents to Papos is a waste of time. They all reinforce the same information. Information that I know cannot be correct. There must be something about Papos that is not allowing the truth to be told. It is time to take more forceful action._

"Have your agents continued looking for Sester," said Servalan. "He must be found."

"Yes, Madame President," acknowledged Tarvin before Servalan closed the connection.

_It is time to send more than a few agents to find out what is going on there._

She depressed her comm unit.

"Corry, contact Space Command for me. I want to speak to Admiral Ves."

* * *

Psychostrategist Sester was undergoing his own testing. Or rather, he was undergoing pain. He had recognized the recent tests for what they were; an attempt to understand the basics of how the field of psychostrategy worked.

This had always been a carefully guarded area in the Federation. Psychostrategists were an elitist and exclusive group who did not reveal their workings to outsiders. As little was known about them as the Clonemasters; and like them, there was a mystique surrounding what they did.

Because the invaders were no longer testing his mental ability, and were specifically targeting his knowledge of psychostrategy, Sester had stopped cooperating. He refused to attempt any more puzzles or problems they had for him to solve.

This meant that his sessions were now filled with nothing but pain.

"It is such a simple thing. Why will you not do it?" asked the blond green uniformed scientist who sat next to him. The pain was turned up another level. Sester moaned but did not say anything.

The man's voice was reasonable. It always sounded reasonable, right up to the point when Sester passed out from the pain.

Though none of the scientists working on him were ever introduced, Sester had identified this blond man as the lead scientist. It came from his manner and the way the others deferred to him. He had a sharp intelligence in his eyes which reminded Sester of the blue uniformed leader.

"You solved all of the other problems we gave you before. Why have you decided to stop?" the lead scientist asked. "Tell me."

With each answering silence, more pain was added.

_Has it reached the point where I have to make a decision? _thought Sester.

As a psychostrategist, he had never been on this end of the pain before. Psychostrategy was a profession of the mind. It never required its practitioners to be involved on a personal level. In fact, it was discouraged. Objective detachment was a hallmark of the psychostrategist; as was viewing everyone as puppets to be manipulated.

Sester was always aware of the results of his psych-strategies; planning the outcome was as important as planning how to get there. He had always regarded it with an intellectual detachment.

But working for Servalan had changed him; working with Avon had changed him. For the first time, he had not liked the outcome of one of his own psych-strategies.

Now he was faced with even more change. This outcome would involve him personally.

It was not longer a game. It was not even a matter of whether he could hold out longer than Avon or Argus. This was no longer a simple contest of wills.

_Has it come to that point? Do I have to make my own decision? What will I be willing to die for?_

Sester knew why his companions back in the cell were doing it.

Argus had been easy to understand. The man was born to sacrifice himself for what he believed and for those he had made a commitment to.

Avon had been surprising, but also easy to understand. The analyst had made his decision long ago; way back at Star One.

Sester had not made his own decision yet. He had never had to. Until now.

* * *

"Argus, you need to get up," said Avon. "I know you're not asleep."

"Leave me alone, Avon," said Argus gruffly.

The two men were alone in the cell. Sester had been taken away to be tested.

Avon and Sester were concerned because Argus was becoming increasingly withdrawn. He was spending much of his time between challenge sessions sleeping instead of participating in their plans of escape. Avon decided to do something about it.

Avon said in a low tone, "No. I will not leave you alone. We need your tactical abilities."

Argus laughed. It was a painful sound, hampered by the injuries to his ribs. "When have you ever needed anyone?"

"It is not you we need. Only your abilities," said Avon.

"Well, if you can separate the two, you are welcome to them," said Argus.

"I would never have thought it possible." Avon decided to try a different approach.

"What? To separate me from my abilities? Has your logical mind found a way?"

"No. I never thought it possible that you could be defeated." Avon was using an idea from Argus's relationship with Reya.

"What do you mean? I have not been defeated!" said Argus angrily. He rolled to face Avon, grimacing at the pain.

"Really?" said Avon sarcastically.

"Is that a challenge?" Argus pushed himself to a sitting position. This was a painful procedure but he no longer felt the pain; adrenaline was flooding his system.

Avon smiled ironically at Argus's reaction. "Not a physical one, at any rate. And it worked."

Argus was looking confused now. He was angry and confused. "What worked?"

"This is a look you often have with Commander Reve," remarked Avon dispassionately. "Minus the anger, of course."

Argus finally realized what Avon had been doing. He smiled wryly. "Yes, she does have that effect on people."

"Not on people. Just you." Avon found himself enjoying this exchange of words. It was adversarial but without the need to have to constantly protect himself; not like the guarded conversations he had with Sester.

"Thank you, Avon."

"I only did it because we need your abilities."

"Of course. My tactical abilities. Well, they are at your disposal now."

Argus appreciated what Avon had just done for him. It was the same thing he had done for Avon, during their therapy sessions on the ship. There was no need for unnecessary displays of concern; the two men understood that about each other. They had also avoided any embarrassing discussions about why Argus was having problems. It would have been easier for both of them to beat each other up than to do something that useful.

The two men began running through the probabilities of various avenues of escape.


	27. Chapter 27

Chapter Twenty-Seven

"What is wrong, Jenna?" Cally approached the woman who was standing by the window, looking out onto the avenue below.

"Don't use your telepathic ability on me, Cally. I do not appreciate it." Jenna said angrily as she turned around and faced the young woman.

Cally refrained from sighing. No matter how many times she told people that she could only read Auron minds, no one seemed to believe her.

"I do not need to be able to read minds, to see that something is wrong," said Cally.

"It's none of your business."

"I do not agree. If it affects our ability to get off this planet then it concerns all of us."

There was a look of pain in Jenna's eyes. She quickly turned back towards the window.

"You don't need me for that," said Jenna.

"We made a good team when we worked together to bring Kameron Reve into the war."

"You mean, when my contacts weren't getting us locked up in cellars."

Cally could see that Jenna was determined to blame herself for everything.

"I failed them, Cally. I nearly killed Allren and I may have crippled Vila for life."

"They don't blame you for that." Cally was just as determined to bring Jenna out of her current mood.

"They should. I do. If we had been onboard the Liberator and it was Blake who came up with such a dangerous idea. I would have tried to stop him."

"You would have failed," said Cally.

Cally could feel another stab of emotional pain in the woman she was talking to. It was also mixed with strong feelings of deep guilt and anger.

"Yes. But at least I would have been the one on the other side. Trying to stop him from risking all our lives on some dangerous scheme. Did Vila tell you that he accused me of being like Blake?"

"He must have been angry. You cannot take what he said seriously."

"But he was right, Cally. I was acting like Blake and I don't know why."

Cally looked at her curiously. The impression she was getting from Jenna was that this was only partially true.

She asked, "Don't you?"

Jenna turned and looked at Cally suspiciously.

"Don't worry. I can not read your mind," Cally reassured her. "But I can feel your emotions. They are very strong right now."

_That's almost as bad_, thought Jenna. Her deep-seated feelings of guilt were eating her up inside. _Maybe I should deal with it. Maybe it is time. Before I get someone killed._

"I left Blake," Jenna told her.

Cally was shocked that Jenna was sharing something so personal. She never had before. Cally waited patiently for Jenna to continue.

Jenna looked silently out the window. In her mind, she was remembering the last time she had seen Blake alive.

* * *

They were in a dark underground cavern; the sounds of wounded and dying rebels moaning around them. Someone screamed in pain. Jenna wondered how many had died this time. She felt sick.

This time, she had given up trying to persuade Blake not to send more men on a mission which was too dangerous. She had discovered long ago that Blake's idea of acceptable risk was vastly different from her own.

_This was my fault too. I should have said something. Even if he didn't listen. At least someone would have spoken up for them. _

What was worse, the rebels all gladly went to their deaths for Blake. They believed in the Cause. Jenna had thought she did too but she always found herself the sole dissenting voice in Blake's schemes.

Jenna watched as Blake bent down to speak to one of the young rebels who had a gaping wound in his chest. It did not take medical knowledge to know that the man could not be saved. She could see the look of concern on Blake's face.

She remembered the first time she had met him; the feelings he had inspired in her. The tentative hope that here was someone who cared and who wanted to make a difference for others; someone who was bold enough and had the vision to make that difference. He had been like a bright shining light in a world of darkness.

She had not known then, what price that light held for those who followed him; what price he would require of them all.

The young rebel died. Blake's head bowed in anguish.

"Blake." Jenna called out his name.

Blake lifted his head to look at her, the anguish still evident on his face. There were many scars on his face now. It was as if each failure, each death, each betrayal had left its mark.

"I can't do this anymore," she told him.

Blake stood up and approached her. He took her hands in his. They had this conversation many times before, in various forms.

"I need you Jenna."

"You don't need me. What you need is someone who will always agree with you. I can't do that."

"I _need_ someone who will not agree with me. I need someone who will tell me the truth no matter how hard it is. I do not someone who will always tell me what I want to hear."

"What is the point? You never listen." Jenna said bitterly. She wasn't even angry anymore. It had become too hard. Everything had become too hard.

_You can wade in blood up to your armpits…You can lead the rabble to victory, whatever that means… I want it finished. I want it to be over and done with._

Jenna could still hear Avon's angry words right before Star One.

Jenna knew that Avon had a different reason for what he said. But his words fit how she was feeling.

She was sick of it all. The blood. The death. Fighting for a Cause which never seemed to end; which never seemed to make anything better. Seeing eager rebels risking their lives on dangerous schemes which should never have been contemplated; risking their lives and dying; without a protest.

It was this last which was the breaking point for her. Too many people going to senseless deaths for the sake of a cause; no one to challenge the senselessness, except her. She was too tired to fight anymore. Too tired of being the lone voice which was never heard.

Now they had failed again. This band of rebels was virtually wiped out. Blake would begin again. There were always many people waiting in the wings. He already had one lined up. A good man named Deva. A computer technician like Avon.

"I never realized it was so hard for you," said Blake sadly as he looked into her eyes. He put his arms around her.

She could feel his warmth as he held her; the comfort of his presence. But it was no longer enough to block out the screams of dying men.

"Send me to Sector Ten, Blake," said Jenna. "I can do some good there."

"What if I said that I need you here?"

"Then you know that I would stay."

Blake sighed sadly and let her go. "I'm sick of losing all the time, Jenna."

"Hopefully Deva will be able to do for you what Avon did."

Blake smiled wryly. "Avon always argued with me. Deva won't."

The look on Blake's face changed. He was still looking at her, but he was no longer seeing her.

The memories faded.

* * *

Jenna's mind returned to the present. Blake had let her go shortly after that.

Less than six months later, he was dead. Killed by Avon.

_I should have stayed with him. He probably wouldn't have died then. _

The guilt felt like hot knives churning in her stomach.

She had gone a little crazy after that. Taking unnecessary risks; trying to find Avon to kill him. Wanting to avenge Blake's death at any cost. It didn't take long for everyone to start avoiding her, especially after she nearly got one group killed. They all wanted to avenge Blake's death, but not at her cost. She was not Blake. They would not die for her.

Argus was the only one who was willing to take her in after that. Even then, he had to be very tough with her.

"Jenna? Are you alright?" Cally asked with concern.

Cally's voice startled Jenna from her thoughts. She had almost forgotten the young woman was there.

"No. But I'm not ready to talk about it yet." The wounds were still too fresh. Even after all this time.

* * *

Avon, Argus and Sester were carrying on a whispered conversation, discussing their plans for escape.

"Do you think he will do it?" asked Avon.

Argus scowled. "I can ask."

"He will most likely require more of you than what you are presently giving him," warned Sester.

"I know that," Argus said gruffly. There was a strong look of distaste on his face.

Every plan they had come up with was hampered by a lack of information about the ship they were being held on. They were planning to ask the bio-tech for this information.

"You will have to do it in such a way that will not make him suspicious and report us. Do you think you can manage that?" asked Avon.

"I guess we'll find out," said Argus angrily.

"Don't be angry at me," said Avon. "It was your idea."

"I know," said Argus. He sounded even angrier. Argus couldn't believe that he was the one who actually suggested it.

"I'm just glad that you didn't suggest taking over the ship," said Avon.

"Why would I attempt something so clearly suicidal?" asked Argus.

Avon smiled ironically. "You wouldn't."

"I still think that Reya will rescue us before we need this plan."

"You would," said Avon.

The cell door slid open. The three men waited to see which one of them would face the next challenge. A retinue of guards came in.

Argus and Sester looked at Avon. Avon always rated a large contingent of guards. They didn't know if it was meant to be an honour guard or whether their captors were really that afraid of him; or both.

Avon struggled to stand up before they reached him. The blue uniformed leader had deliberately instructed that the implant be used to keep him physically disabled.

Avon prepared to go with the guards. They didn't move. One of them pointed to Sester.

"You are also required."

The three men looked at each other. Sester got up. The guards plus their two prisoners left the cell.

Argus wondered what was about to happen.

* * *

Vila, Allren and Ture were in deep discussion around the computer engineer's bed. They all stopped talking when Cally approached with Jenna.

"Would you mind an observer?" asked Jenna tentatively.

"Sit here." Vila cleared a space next to him on the bench he had pulled over.

Cally sat beside Ture.

Vila said, "Allren has an idea how we can contact Zen safely. That way we can know for sure if the ship has been taken over."

"Yes. I've been studying the way Avon used the diffusing crystal. If the enemy's communications technology is what I think it is, then they're using an advanced version of our relaying technology. With the crystal, I think I can duplicate multiple relay channels which will bounce across their whole comm network. That way when you contact your ship, they won't know where it's originating from."

Ture asked, "Does your Zen have command protocols which restrict usage to authorized personnel?"

Cally said, "Yes. It is restricted to the current crew."

"If one of you contacts Zen, can you direct it to communicate only along the relay channels?" asked Ture.

"Yes. That is possible," replied Cally. "This is a feasible plan."

"It was Vila's idea," said Allren.

"Well, only the bit about contacting Zen," said Vila. "That's what Avon did, after we abandoned the ship after Star One. He contacted Zen to find out where we were. Then he told it to come to rescue us."

"There is one problem though. In order to create the multiple relays, I need access to different versions of these comm units in order to study the channels they use," said Allren.

"I can help with that," said Jenna.

They all turned towards her. So far she had only listened. It was very quiet now. Jenna realized they were waiting to hear what she had to say.

_You're all afraid of what I am going to come up with. _

"I have been doing a lot of observing from the window. I believe I can identify which of the soldiers would have different units. Then we can find Cally's thief friend," said Jenna.

They all seemed to let out a sigh of relief.

"That's a good plan," said Vila.

Jenna couldn't remember Vila ever saying that to anyone before.


	28. Chapter 28

Avon and Sester were both strapped into chairs, facing each other. The blue uniformed leader was present.

"As both of you have stopped cooperating, I thought we would try something different," he told them.

Neither of the men had spoken since being brought to the lab.

Avon and Sester looked at each other, an unspoken agreement seemed to pass between them.

"Do you really think you can defeat both of us? When you couldn't even beat one?" asked Avon.

"We shall see," said the leader.

"If you are thinking of using us to beat each other, you are wasting your time," said Sester. "The only thing you can do is inflict pain or kill us. The first has not worked. The second you are not prepared to do."

"I can always find other psychostrategists to experiment on."

"Do you really have the time?" asked Avon.

The blue leader looked startled. He had not expected this question; he did not like this question.

Avon glanced at Sester. _You were right._ The psychostrategist nodded imperceptibly.

"I do not know what you're talking about," said the blue uniformed leader.

"We think you do," said Sester.

"What will you do when you cannot find out what you need to know?" asked Avon. "What happens when you cannot find out before your technological advantage disappears?"

"Have you already calculated when that will be?" asked Sester.

The blue uniformed leader was looking very uncomfortable. The two men kept up the pressure.

"You already know I can hold off an entire invasion fleet with a single ship," said Avon.

"You had the minefield to help you," said the leader defensively.

The blue uniformed leader did not understand how a commanding situation had become a defensive one so quickly. The advantage was his. All of the advantages. He could inflict pain at will. Logic dictated that it was the two men strapped in the chairs who should be in the weaker position, not him.

Avon laughed sardonically. "If that was the reason for my success then why do your people consider me a legend?"

"Or is it they fear Avon because, even with the minefield, the odds still did not make sense?" said Sester.

"What have you calculated your _current_ odds to be?" asked Avon.

"I doubt if he will tell us," Sester addressed Avon. "He cannot afford to."

"He is afraid to," said Avon.

"You want the secrets of psychostrategy because you have seen its success when applied to humanity," Sester said to the blue leader.

"What do you think will happen when the same is applied to you?" asked Avon.

"As we are doing now?" said Sester.

"Or against your own people?" said Avon.

There was shock on the man's face. His hand reached towards the panel in front of him; he had a need to regain control. The only way he had left was the application of pain.

"You have lost," Avon said dismissively.

"He won't accept it though," said Sester.

"What odds are your people prepared to accept?" Avon asked the leader.

"What odds are _you_ prepared to accept?" Sester added.

"Take them back to their cell," said the blue leader angrily. He felt as if he had just been exposed; he did not like that feeling.

Avon looked at Sester. Sester nodded very clearly now. His psych-strategy had been correct. The key was the decision of the blue leader.

Argus was facing four of the challengers. These ones were quick and coordinated. Two of them would strike at once, from different sides. A slip in concentration on his part would result in one of them getting through his guard. With the amount of bruising he had sustained and the half-healed injuries, each blow hurt even more.

As each pair finished, the other pair would instantly take their place; never allowing Argus time for even a brief rest. They remained fresh while he was systematically worn down. More of the blows were landing now.

When he could, he would cause one of them to miss and barrel into the other one. As they untangled themselves, it gave him time to catch his breath. But now they had increased the challengers from four to six. It was three and three who came at him. It was much harder to keep all three of them within his vision at the same time. He relied on his instincts and his ability to anticipate possible strike patterns.

As another strike managed to penetrate his guard, Argus realized with dismay that the remaining challengers, who were watching from the circle, had deliberately decreased the radius of the circle. In a tighter arena, he had fewer options and his advantage of speed was reduced considerably.

Avon and Sester were observing from the sidelines. As usual, both men had been shunted off to the side to watch.

"This is not good," said Sester.

"Agreed," said Avon. "Their leader is trying to prove he is still in control."

Sester nodded. "He thinks he still has one avenue left."

The two men could only watch as the challengers began hitting Argus until he finally collapsed to his knees. Normally at this point they would immobilize him by grabbing his arms, while the others administered a beating. But not this time.

As he knelt, one of them directed a kick to his body, which he blocked. Another, a kick to his side, which he again blocked. Again another one to his back, which he barely blocked. Then three coordinated kicks, at the same time; two of which he managed to block and one which knocked him to the ground. At that point they all began kicking him. He tried to protect himself as best as he could, but he was already too tired.

"They're going to kill him," said Avon angrily. He moved towards Argus but the guards had been anticipating their reactions and held him back.

"I think that's the point," said Sester as his guard restrained him as well.

They watched helplessly as the challengers continued kicking Argus until he was no longer physically able to block the blows. He lay silent and unresisting now, except for the occasional cries of pain as something else was broken.

"Stop it!" shouted Avon. "Do you really think you have defeated him by doing this? That you have defeated us? You're only proving that you can't!"

Surprisingly, the challengers stopped. They looked at Avon, and then at the man who was now faced down on the ground. The room was silent except for the sounds of rasping coughs and pained efforts to breathe. Each cough brought up blood. The challengers all backed up and stood in a circle surrounding Argus.

The booming voice which commanded them said, "Leave now."

There was no movement. They all stood frozen, staring down at the man whom they had almost kicked to death.

"Leave the room," the voice commanded again.

No one was paying attention to the voice.

"What are they waiting for?" asked Avon. They needed the soldiers to leave so that the bio-tech would come and tend to Argus's injuries.

"Watch," said Sester.

Normally at the end of each session, after a beating had been administered, Argus would stand in defiance; regardless of how much pain he was in or how injured. It was his declaration that they had not beaten him.

"You think they're waiting for him to get up?" asked Avon.

"Yes."

Both men did not voice their fears that Argus was no longer able to get up. That was what everyone in the room feared, even the challengers.

For one long minute, it seemed that all their fears were going to be proven right.

The challengers still stood waiting.

Argus cried out; it was a sound filled with pain and anguish. Slowly and painfully, he began to move; he was positioning his hands in order to push himself up. They all held their breaths. After the third try, he was finally in a sitting position. The look on his face was one of pure determination. The challengers backed up, even though there was more than enough room. When he finally stood, swaying on his feet, they stared at each other; challengers and their single opponent.

Avon whispered to Sester, "They…"

"Yes."

There was something which wasn't there before.

"This is an interesting development. In trying to make a point, their leader has just defeated himself," said Avon.

"Yes. I do not think he will enjoy the irony though," said Sester.

As Argus continued standing, the challengers filed out, followed by the guards who had been watching over Avon and Sester. When the last one left and the door slid closed, Argus collapsed.

Avon and Sester rushed over but they were not fast enough before he hit the ground.

"He's barely breathing," Avon said with concern as he examined Argus. "I think some of the broken ribs punctured his lungs."

Argus moaned and coughed painfully. More blood came up. He tried to speak but only ended up coughing more.

"Don't say anything," Avon told him.

"Reya," Argus rasped. He was gasping in short laboured breaths. "Tell her I'm s…" The rest of what he had to say was lost as he coughed again. By the time he stopped, he had slipped into unconsciousness.

The door slid open again. The bio-tech entered with the regular two guards who stayed by the door.

As the bio-tech bent down to examine Argus, Avon grabbed his hand.

"You will not touch him today," Avon warned the bio-tech.

"I can not treat him if I can't touch him," the bio-teach said as he waved off the two guards who had approached at the sign of danger.

"You know what I mean," said Avon in a cold tone.

"You never had a problem with it before," said the bio-tech.

"Do you think the guards will be able to stop me before I kill you?" asked Avon. There was more than just a threat in his cold voice.

"If you don't let me tend to him, he's going to die. Do you want that?" asked the bio-tech. He said placatingly. "I will not require anything of him today. I saw what was done. I do not want to add to his pain."

Avon looked at him coldly but he let go of the bio-tech's hand.

The bio-tech kept his word. He tended to Argus's injuries and nothing else. There were many devices he used which Avon did not recognize. The blood was cleared from the lungs. It took a long time to fuse all the broken bones.

When he was finally finished, the bio-tech said, "That's all I can do for him. Without being able to bring him to the healing facility. I have given him a sedative. Give him this when he wakes up." He handed Avon a small clear caplet.

"What's this?" Avon said suspiciously.

"It's a pain blocker," the bio-tech explained.

"I thought you weren't allowed to give him these."

"No. But he will need it. You may not believe it. But despite what our leaders want, and what we've been doing, many have come to respect him. We respect all of you. And we do not like doing this."

"Are you saying that what _you've_ been doing to him has been on orders?" asked Avon.

"No," the bio-tech said. There was a look of embarrassment on his face. "I…like him."

Avon thought that "like" was not quite the word for what the bio-tech had been doing to Argus, but he refrained from saying so.

Before he left, the bio-tech dropped his voice to a low tone, "If you have a plan to escape, you should do it now. I do not think our leaders will allow him to live much longer after what happened today."

After the bio-tech left, Sester and Avon spoke in low tones to avoid the monitors.

Sester whispered, "Their leaders can't afford to allow Argus to live. Not after seeing how their own men reacted. The next challenge will be the last. It will be an ugly and decisive death."

"The bio-tech was right then. We have to escape soon," said Avon. "Is your psych-strategy complete?"

"Yes. We just need to make the opportunity now."

"Unfortunately any escape plans we have requires his tactical ability," said Avon indicating his head towards Argus.

"Tactical ability. Is that what they call brawn these days?" asked Sester.

"I do not find that funny," said Avon coldly.

"You're right. It isn't," said Sester apologetically. He noted, "You're very protective of him."

"I don't know what you mean."

"Would you be surprised to know that he is also very protective of you? He actually threatened me."

"That's hardly surprising. He is protective of everyone. He's very undiscriminating."

"Is that why you are protective of him?" asked Sester.

"I am not undiscriminating," said Avon coldly. He did not understand why people insisted on attributing altruistic motivations to his actions.

Sester suppressed a smile. "Of course not."


	29. Chapter 29

Jenna, Vila, Cally and the two tech mercenaries, Allren and Ture, were gathered around Allren's bed again. After acquiring the necessary equipment for Allren to study, they were finally ready to contact Zen.

Allren made a final adjustment. "That should be it. Are you ready?"

"Go ahead," said Jenna.

Allren pressed a button. He nodded his head to Jenna.

"Zen. This is Jenna Stannis. Confirm my identity and respond along this relay channel."

"Jenna Stannis voice print identity confirmed."

They all reacted excitedly.

"I never thought I would be so happy to hear the sound of a computer," said Vila.

"Zen, is Argus available for communication?"

"There has been no communication access with Drel Argus since disruption by an advanced EMP wave."

"That must be the same one that affected us down here," said Ture.

"But I thought an EMP wave is supposed to knock out all technology? Why is Zen still functioning," asked Vila.

"It may be that the technology on your ship is not as susceptible to EMP disruption," said Allren.

"Zen is that true?" asked Jenna.

"It is partially true. Drel Argus also performed a manual shutdown prior to the EMP wave impacting the ship. This reduced damage to the ship's systems."

"Zen, are the autorepair units functioning?"

"Autorepair function is currently at fifteen percent of capacity. Information. There have been unauthorized repairs on the ship's systems by intruders."

"Intruders?" exclaimed Vila with alarm. This was what they had all been afraid of.

"Identify the intruders, Zen," said Cally. "This is Cally."

"Voiceprint identity of Cally is confirmed. There is no information available on the identity of the intruders."

"Is there any indication whether Argus or Reya are still alive or where they are being held?" said Jenna.

"There is no information," reported Zen.

Cally asked, "Zen, have the intruders been able to gain access to your computer systems?"

"Negative. The intruders have been unable to interface with this control unit. Attempts to bypass security protocols set up by Kerr Avon have been unsuccessful."

"Well, thank the heavens for that," said Jenna. "Zen, report status of essential ship's systems."

For the next few minutes, Zen gave them a brief report.

"Well, at least the engines and life support are functioning. And the navigation computers. That means that once we get back on the ship, we can try to escape," said Jenna.

"Yes, but the teleport is still out," said Vila. "We can't even get back on the ship yet."

"That's not our only problem," said Jenna. "Our teleport bracelets don't work anymore either."

"How are we going to get back on the ship then?" asked Vila.

* * *

"Do you really think you should be moving around?" asked Avon.

"I'm fine," said Argus. He attempted to get up in order to prove his point; grunting at the effort and grimacing in pain.

"Yes, you look _and_ sound like you're fine," said Avon sarcastically.

"I do not like sitting around doing nothing," said Argus. He tried to get up again.

"I'm sure that our hosts are _more_ than willing to send in some challengers for you to beat up. If you want some exercise," said Avon.

"That's not funny," said Argus.

"Neither is watching you trying to get up," said Avon.

Sester watched this interaction with amusement.

The cell door slid open. All three men turned towards it, they had not been expecting anyone. Normally during a sleep cycle, they were left alone.

A red uniformed technician entered the cell.

"Reya!" Argus exclaimed as he recognized who it was.

"Argus." She nodded to Avon and Sester.

"Reya?" Now that Argus had a good look at her, he wasn't quite certain.

"Yes, it's me. I needed the disguise to infiltrate the ship." She felt very self-conscious at her male appearance now that she was facing Argus.

"You look strange." Argus's first reaction had been to hug her, but her masculine appearance made him uncomfortable.

"Thank you for that assessment," she said dryly. "Do you have any other helpful comments?"

"No?" He said with uncertainty. The look on his face indicated that he had no idea how to take her appearance.

"Don't worry, it's not permanent," she reassured him. Reya wondered if he was feeling uncomfortable because of what the bio-tech had been doing to him.

For some reason, whenever Argus was with her, words did not come that easily. He turned to Avon and Sester, "You see, I told you she would come to rescue us."

There was great pride in his voice. All feelings of pain and discomfort were ignored at his joy in seeing her.

"You knocked out the guards in the surveillance booth?" Avon asked Reya.

"Yes. And the ones in the corridors along here. I've hidden them in a supply room. It's a sleep cycle right now so they shouldn't be discovered until their shift change. But the sooner we get back on your ship, the better."

"I take it the ship has been repaired then?" asked Avon.

"Most of the systems. The enemy techs did it. I had to wait until they had fixed enough of the systems so that we would not be helpless when we do regain the ship. That's what took me so long. Other than this command ship, there are four other of their ships out there. Fortunately they haven't been able to override your Zen computer or I may have had to take more drastic measures. Here, take these," Reya handed each man several caplets.

"What are these?" asked Avon.

"Pain blockers and adrenaline pills. I thought you might need them. I can't carry all of you out of here," said Reya. "I have also set up large sonovapor canisters on the _Justice_ to knockout the enemy soldiers onboard. But I need one of you to instruct Zen to release it throughout the entire ship."

"That was excellent work," said Avon.

"I told you she's good," said Argus. The pride was still evident in his voice. He couldn't stop grinning.

"So you did," said Avon. He looked at Reya with interest; he was beginning to see why Argus was so fascinated by her. She appeared to be a woman with great intelligence and ability. Someone very 

formidable in her own right and not given to overly emotional displays. He was impressed with her foresight.

"She is impressive," agreed Sester as he put both of the pills in his mouth.

"She is, isn't she?" said Argus proudly as he did the same with his.

"My condolences," said Avon. He identified the pills in his hands before he swallowed his. They were familiar ones.

"What is that supposed to mean?" asked Argus angrily.

There was a hint of a smile on Avon's face. Argus scowled at him but didn't pursue it. Now was not the time.

Instead he asked, "Are the weapons and shields systems operational now, Reya?"

"Yes. Those were the last ones I was waiting for," said Reya. "Although I cannot guarantee how well the enemy techs were able to repair it. They seemed quite confused by the alien nature of your ship's technology. And I did not have access to your Zen computer to ask for a status."

"With access to your ship, as well as weapons and shields, this gives us more powerful options," said Sester.

"Agreed," said Avon.

"We might be able to send a more decisive message now," said Sester.

"Are you able to expand on your psych-strategy and build a stronger end scenario?" Avon asked Sester.

Sester smiled. "My strategies always make provisions for the unexpected."

"Here put these on," said Reya as she handed each of them a red uniform.

She said, "I'll check that the corridors are still clear. I'll be back in a few minutes."

All three began to strip off their clothes and put on the uniforms. It took longer than they thought because none of them were in good condition and it was too early for the drugs to have taken effect yet. Argus had the most difficulties though he refused any offers of help.

Reya returned just as Avon and Sester were putting on the final touches. Argus had barely managed to get his pants off.

"Do you want some help?" Reya asked Argus. She really did not want to embarrass him but she knew how stubborn and proud he was when it came to asking for help.

She added, "We really need to get out of here as soon as possible."

Argus was about to refuse but Reya knew that by adding the sense of urgency, he would rather be embarrassed than let them down. He nodded.

She carefully helped Argus into the red tech uniform, trying to be as gentle as possible.

"She's very helpful, isn't she," Sester remarked to Avon.

Even though this was the first time Sester had met Reya, he could immediately identify that there was something very deep between her and Argus. He was fascinated; he had never seen two people so hopelessly in love with each other and who were also so totally unprepared to handle it.

"Yes, he needs it more," said Avon dispassionately. He tested his weight on his weak knee while Sester watched with concern. It was still painful but much less so now.

"I do not!" said Argus.

"Are you three quite finished?" asked Reya. This kind of male bravado applied to her relationship with Argus made her feel uncomfortable. "Or do you want me to wait outside until you're done?"

All three men looked at her sheepishly.

"You're right," said Avon.

"My apologies," Sester said to her.

"And you?" Reya asked Argus challengingly as she finished helping him.

"Lead the way, Commander," Argus said meekly. He realized that Reya felt uncomfortable; he had not intended to do that to her. She had a tendency to become aggressive when she felt vulnerable or exposed. Their relationship always made her feel that way. She still didn't know how to handle it.

Reya said, "Let's go." She went to the hatch and checked the corridor.

"It's clear," she said as she led the way out through the exit.

"I see what you mean," Sester said to Avon. The psychostrategist had an amused look on his face as he positioned himself so that Avon could lean on him if he needed to. Avon looked at him coldly and started moving towards the hatch on his own.

Sester sighed and followed after him.

"How would you both like a black eye?" said Argus as he brought up the rear.

"You might be able to take one of us on but in your condition, I doubt you could tackle us both," said Avon over his shoulder as he and Sester exited the cell.

"How would you like to find out?" challenged Argus as he followed them out. He closed the hatch after him.


	30. Chapter 30

Chapter Thirty

"Commander Reve, I think we've lost Argus again," Sester told Reya when she came back. She had been scouting ahead as her three slower charges were making their way towards the tunnel link to the ship.

"Alright. I'll go look for him. You both keep going. Avon, do you think you can make it?" Reya asked with concern.

She had expected that the three men's conditions would hamper movement, but she had hoped that the drugs would make up for it. The drugs had helped, but only in making it possible for them to move. How quickly was a different matter. She was starting to be concerned. No matter how quiet the corridors were presently, the longer they stayed on the enemy ship, the more dangerous it became. They were moving faster than they had been in the cell though.

Avon said, "Don't worry about me. Go look for Argus." Normally Avon would have bristled at any indication that people would have to worry about him; but he could not deny that he was currently having problems.

Avon's face was pale. Even supported by Sester, he was not moving very fast. Being a week without his supporting drugs had taken its toll. When he was forced to concentrate, it was just manageable. The interaction with Sester and Argus had helped back in the cell. But now as they were making their way towards the tunnel link, the act of moving was not enough to occupy his mind. He was starting to slip into the world of the memories.

"Leave Avon to me," said Sester. "I will get him there."

Reya hesitated but there was not much of a choice. "It's clear between here and the tunnel. Once you reach the junction at the end of the next corridor, stay there until I get back. There are guards at the tunnel entrance."

"Understood," said Sester.

Reya went in search of Argus.

After Reya left, Sester readjusted Avon's arm around his shoulders in order to give him better support. The two men began moving forward again.

_Servalan. _

_Avon's mind began to wander again. Being physically supported by Sester and the act of putting one foot in front of the other, had brought up memories of the walks in the gardens of Residence One. _

_He could feel Servalan's hands on his arm as she supported him after one particularly tiring walk._

_"Here sit down," said Servalan, as she lowered him to a bench by the lake. It was not easy with his hands bound behind him._

_Avon tried to catch his breath as she sat next to him._

_"And what game are you playing Avon?" Servalan asked him._

_"I only want to survive," he replied._

_"You repeatedly say that we are not alike," said Servalan. "You are fooling yourself Avon."_

_Avon's breathing was finally returning to normal._

_"You always think we are alike, Servalan. But we're not. Why are you fooling yourself?"_

_Servalan laughed._

_"Are you capable of anything other than games?" Avon asked when she did not answer him._

_"There was a time," she began tentatively._

Avon shook his head, trying to fight off a memory he did not want.

"Avon!" Sester propped Avon up against the bulkhead wall and looked into his eyes. Avon's eyes were not focused. He realized that Avon's mind must be slipping into the memories. Sester shook Avon by the shoulders.

"Avon! You have to focus."

In Avon's mind, he heard Sester's words, but they came across as Servalan's voice.

"Servalan," said Avon.

Sester shook him again. "You need to concentrate Avon. I am not Servalan. I would be very worried if you thought I looked like our esteemed Federation President."

"Esteemed?" Avon asked. He struggled to focus on the image in front of him. At times he saw Servalan, at times he saw Sester's face; the two images seemed to blend together.

"That's it. Fight it Avon. You are not with Servalan. You are here in a corridor on the enemy's ship. Remember the blue leader. Remember why we are here."

_Blue leader, _Avon's mind remembered the enemy who was trying to defeat them. His mind returned to the present just as Sester lifted his hand to slap him across the face.

Avon grabbed Sester's hand. "No. There's no need."

Sester breathed a sigh of relief. "You were starting to worry me."

"Worry about yourself," said Avon flatly.

"You still refuse to accept anything from me, other than what is required for mutual survival?"

"I am not accepting anything from you. We are using each other. That is all," said Avon. "Do not mistake this for anything else."

"I could just leave you here," said Sester.

"Do you think you would get very far without us?" asked Avon.

"You have a point. We still need each other."

"Now that we have both made the same point, shall we go? I do not want to be standing here when Commander Reve comes back."

Sester smiled and helped Avon to move again. "Well, that is one thing neither one of us wants."

* * *

Argus leaned against the bulkhead and closed his eyes, trying to regain his breath. Even with the adrenaline and the painblockers, Argus had been finding it increasingly difficult to keep up with the others. He had decided to rest for a minute.

_Serves me right for refusing Reya's help when she offered it._

"What are you doing here?" a voice asked him.

Argus opened his eyes. A red uniformed technician was looking at him with a mixture of suspicion and concern. Red uniforms were virtually invisible on the ship except to other red uniforms.

"I was feeling dizzy, must have been something I ate," said Argus.

"You look more than just dizzy. You look liked you've been beaten up," said the technician with concern. Red uniforms stuck up for each other.

"Well..." Argus wasn't quite sure what story to give to the man.

"You look familiar," said the technician with a puzzled tone. The man looked intently at Argus's face.

"I look like a lot of people. Must be the uniform," said Argus.

"No. You do not look like a lot of people," said the technician. "In fact…" There was a look of recognition on the man's face. The technician was about to say something. At least he would have if he didn't chose at that moment to collapse to the ground, revealing Reya standing behind the man. She had just knocked out the technician.

Argus could not believe that he had not seen her approach.

"Reya!"

"Yes, Argus."

"I was about to take care of him."

"I'm sure you were."

"Are you trying to patronize me?" asked Argus.

"Do you need patronizing?"

Argus admitted, "I guess I need some help."

Reya gave him a brief affectionate smile. For Argus, this smile appearing on a familiar but now masculine looking face made it disconcerting.

"Is there something wrong?" she asked.

"I don't think I like this face."

"Neither do I," said Reya with consternation. She dragged the unconscious technician into an empty room nearby.

"Shall we go?" she asked.

Argus, with the help of Reya, made their way towards the tunnel again.

* * *

There were two brown uniformed guards at the entrance into the tunnel.

"Stay here until I get back. There are guards at both ends," said Reya. The three men watched as Reya walked tiredly towards the tunnel; just like any overworked and unappreciated tech.

As she approached, one of the guards said, "Don't they ever give you tech types any rest?"

Reya shrugged, mumbled something barely coherent about the deficient qualities of command types and continued walking without breaking stride. The guard faced forward and yawned, the red uniform had become part of the background again for him.

As Reya passed the guards, she seemed to casually extend out her hand. She struck the man who had spoken at the base of the skull. The guard fell before he had finished his yawn. It was so smooth and unexpected, that the other guard barely had time to register that something was wrong before he also joined his companion on the ground.

The three men watched as Reya pulled the guards' bodies out of sight. The entire procedure had been quick and completely silent. Reya headed down the tunnel to take care of the guards at the other end.

"She's almost as good as you are," said Sester as they waited.

"She is amazing, isn't she," said Argus.

"Perhaps you should run now," said Avon.

"And maybe you should shut up," said Argus.

"I think it's too late," said Sester.

"Yes, you've already said quite enough," Argus said to Avon.

"I wasn't referring to Avon," said Sester.

Reya came back to help them. "Are we ready?"

"_Some_ of us are," said Argus as Reya took his arm and helped him towards the tunnel.

Avon and Sester smiled as they too followed after them.

* * *

"We cannot sit here and do nothing," said Cally.

"Why not? I like sitting," said Vila. "Sitting is under-rated."

"Now that we can contact the ship, we should figure out a way to use it to help us," said Jenna.

"Well, we still have the little problem of not being able to get back on the ship. Otherwise, I would agree with you whole-heartedly," said Vila.

The look that they all gave him indicated that none of them believed the "agreeing whole-heartedly" part.

"Well, I would," said Vila defensively.

"In order to give Vila the chance to agree with us whole-heartedly, let's try to find a way to get back on the ship then," said Jenna.

"We don't necessarily have to get back onto your ship in order to use your Zen computer," said Allren.

They all turned to look at the computer engineer, who was propped up against a pillow. Both he and Ture had been listening to the three crewmates bickering, not wanting to interfere.

"What do you mean?" asked Jenna.

"If your Zen computer contains information on the repair of the ship's systems, would it have information on how to repair your teleport bracelet units?" asked Allren.


	31. Chapter 31

Chapter Thirty-One

Reya leaned Argus up against the bulkhead.

They were finally back onboard the _Justice_. She set to work opening up one of the access hatches to the maintenance channels.

"You're not serious?" asked Sester. "You want us to crawl around in the maintenance ducts?"

"Yes. Unless you would prefer fighting through several dozen enemy soldiers between here and the flight deck," said Reya dryly.

"Not particularly," said Sester.

"Do psychostrategists not crawl?" asked Argus.

"I would think you would be used to it by now, working for Servalan," said Avon. Avon was also not relishing this foray into the bowels of the ship.

Sester fixed them both with an icy glare.

The access hatch opening prevented any further discussion about the advantages or disadvantages of working for the Federation President.

* * *

Their progress through the maintenance tunnels was agonizingly slow. Half-way to their destination, Avon and Argus were only moving forward through sheer willpower.

"Let's stop for a bit," said Reya.

Each man was glad of the rest, though they would never have admitted it. None of them could hide that they were all sweating and breathing heavily.

"I know why Argus is having problems. I know why I'm having problems. What's your excuse," Avon asked Sester.

"Physical exertion is not required of a psychostrategist," said Sester.

"Well, you're working for Servalan now. I suggest you learn to run."

"You really do hate her don't you," said Sester.

"She has given me more than enough cause. As have you."

Sester sighed. None of these conversations ever ended in anything different.

Reya came back after scouting ahead, "We should keep moving."

* * *

By the time they reached the access hatch closest to the flight deck, Argus and Avon almost had to be dragged the rest of the way by Reya and Sester.

Reya had already hidden an equipment satchel here. She opened it up and started pulling items out.

"Take these." She handed each of them a portable breathing mask unit. "It's for the sonovapor."

She also handed plasma pistols to Argus and Avon.

"Rest for a bit. I'm going to check the flight deck. I'll be back," said Reya.

She checked the corridor, slid the access panel open, and headed towards the flight deck. Argus closed the hatch after her.

As they waited, Sester remarked, "She almost doesn't need you."

"She doesn't need anyone. Sometimes I wonder why she puts up with me," said Argus.

"Don't worry, I'm sure you do have some uses," Avon reassured Argus.

"You think so?" Argus asked. He never understood why Reya loved him when most of the time, he hated himself.

Avon and Sester looked towards each other. Their attempt at humour at Argus's expense had backfired.

* * *

Reya came back and opened the access hatch. She helped Argus out, followed by Avon and Sester. The men were better after the brief rest.

"There are ten on the flight deck right now," said Reya.

"We need to take them all out quickly," said Argus as they all checked their weapons. "Four, four and two. Avon, can you handle the two? It has to be quick and precise. We can't risk damaging the ship's systems."

"Yes."

"Alright, let's go." They all headed towards the flight deck.

* * *

Avon and Argus were standing to one side of the entrance to the flight deck; while Reya and Sester were watching from the other side. Argus used hand signals to indicate to Reya and Avon which of the enemy soldiers they were responsible for taking down.

Reya and Avon nodded in understanding. Their weapons were held in readiness.

Argus held up one hand. With his fingers he began counting down from five.

Five. Four. Three. Two. One.

The three rushed down onto the flight deck; Reya followed by Argus and then Avon. They began firing immediately.

Avon took his first target down with ease. As the man began to fall, Avon was frozen. In his mind, the enemy soldier had taken on Blake's face.

Argus instantly sensed that something was wrong and took down Avon's other target as well. All ten soldiers now lay dead. It had taken less than fifteen seconds.

"Avon!" Argus called out to his companion.

Avon was still frozen. His hand was tightened around the pistol so hard that it was cutting off circulation. There was look of blank shock on his face.

"Has he handled a weapon since he came back from the Detention Centre?" asked Sester as he came down the flight deck steps. He had seen Avon's reaction and realized what was wrong.

"Argus, I'm going back to the tunnel. I'm going to stand as one of the guards," said Reya. "We must make sure that everything still looks normal until you're ready. Send Sester for me when you're ready to release the tunnel."

Argus nodded. Reya rushed out.

"He hasn't handled any weapons," Argus replied to Sester.

Sester approached Avon carefully.

"Be careful," said Argus as he approached on Avon's other side.

"Avon," Sester said softly. "Let go of the pistol." He slowly reached for the gun.

"Here. Let me do it," said Argus. He carefully took hold of the barrel of the pistol with one hand and Avon's wrist with the other.

"Avon, it's alright. You can let go," said Argus. He pushed the barrel towards Avon and angled it upwards. The strange pressure caused Avon to look down at the pistol. His grip began to relax.

"Look at me, Avon," said Argus.

There was a look of shocked confusion on Avon's face, "I shot Blake."

"Avon. That was many years ago. You have to come back to the present. We need you," said Argus.

Avon's face relaxed and became his normal unemotional self again.

"That's hard to believe," said Avon. "You needing anyone."

"I said we. Not me," said Argus.

"Should I tell Commander Reve that you said you don't need her?"

"I did not say that. Don't you dare tell her that! Now give me the gun."

Avon let go of the pistol. "I didn't know that was going to happen."

"None of us did," said Argus. "Will it affect your ability with our main task? We can't continue if _you_ can't continue."

Sester interjected, "This is partially my fault. I had anticipated that this might happen. I wasn't sure if Avon had handled any weapons since his escape. From your manner, I thought he had."

He addressed Avon, "I do not believe it will affect what you have to do later. That only requires your computational and analytical skills."

Sester asked Argus, "You are having Commander Reve handle the weapons control?"

"Yes," said Argus.

"Then it should be fine," said Sester.

"Anything else you haven't told me?" asked Avon coldly.

"Yes, I would like to know that as well," said Argus. His normally low baritone voice had lowered in pitch. This was never a good sign.

Sester refused to be intimidated. "Nothing else."

"We will have a long discussion about this later," said Argus.

"Stop trying to protect me, Argus," said Avon coldly. "I can handle this myself."

"I'm sure you can," said Argus.

"Gentlemen, let us ensure there _is_ a later before you decide to take me apart," said Sester.

Survival necessitated that they agree for now. The tension eased.

"Alright, masks," said Argus. When they had all put them on, Argus instructed, "Zen, this is Argus. On my orders, release the sonovapour throughout the entire ship."

"Drel Argus. Voiceprint confirmed. Orders acknowledged."

"Five minutes should do it. Then have the ship's filtration units clear the vapours."

"Confirmed."

"Release the sonovapour."

"Confirmed. Sonovapour gases released."

* * *

After the gas had been cleared Argus instructed, "Zen, bring the close and medium range sensors online. Report any ships in the vicinity."

"Confirmed. There is currently one ship docked with the _Justice_. Six ships are within one thousand spatials of this ship."

"I thought there were only five ships?" said Argus. This was not good news.

"That was correct. Two have arrived in the last three hours," reported Zen.

"That shortens our odds considerably," said Avon. "And assuming that more don't arrive."

"Yes. It makes what we have to do much harder. Let's check everything else before assessing how this impacts us. Avon, systems check," said Argus.

Avon nodded in acknowledgement of the request and went over to the Zen visual interface.

"Zen, this is Avon."

"Kerr Avon, voiceprint identification confirmed."

"Give me a status check on all essential ships systems. Begin."

Zen began droning out the information requested.

* * *

When Zen had finished the report, Avon came over to where Argus was discussing some details of the psych-strategy with Sester.

"We have another problem."

"Tell me."

"It appears the enemy technicians may have made errors in the repair of the weapons systems."

"Are they operational?"

"I was about to go take a look at them."

Zen interrupted, "Information, Jenna Stannis is currently in communication with this control unit."

"Jenna. That's good. Patch her through," said Argus.

"Wait," said Avon urgently.

"Belay that order Zen," said Argus. "What is it Avon?"

"When I was back on Papos, I also tried to communicate with the ship. I suspect that was how they were able to locate me. They must be monitoring any carrier wave which is being directed to the _Justice_. And does not match their own."

"Then Jenna and the others are putting themselves in danger by trying to communicate with the ship?"

"Yes."

"Zen," said Argus. "Communicate to Jenna that…"

Zen interrupted, "Information."

Ignoring Zen Argus continued, "Communicate to her that she must cease transmission immediately."

Zen repeated, "Information."

"What is it Zen?" asked Avon.

"The communication signal from Jenna Stannis is utilizing multiple relay channels. It emulates communication traffic being used by the ship which is docked with the _Justice._"

"That's clever," said Avon. He wondered how Jenna and the others managed that. "It should be safe enough to contact them."

Argus told Zen, "Zen patch Jenna's communication to the main speakers."

"Confirmed. Communications linked."

"Jenna, this is Argus."

"Argus! It's good to hear your voice." They could hear indistinct sounds of excitement coming from the speakers.

"It's good to hear yours too. Are you and Vila alright?" Argus asked.

"Yes, generally. Cally is here too. And Ture and Allren."

Avon reacted with surprise but his voice, as always was neutral, "Cally, is she alright?"

"Yes, Avon. I'm fine." Cally's voice came over the speakers.

"I hoped that the soldiers wouldn't get you as well," said Avon.

"They didn't. I found the comm unit you left behind. We're using it now," said Cally.

"Let's leave the news until later," said Argus. "We have more pressing concerns at the moment. Are you all in a safe position? The teleport isn't yet operational yet. We can't bring you up."

"Yes, we're fine for now, Argus. Our teleport bracelets aren't working either," Jenna said. "That's why we were trying to contact Zen."

"We'll come down and get you. But you'll have to wait. We have some business to take care of up here first."

"Does this have to do with the invaders?" asked Jenna.

"Yes. Sester has a strategy which we hope will stop their invasion plans, at least for now."

"Hope?" asked Sester behind him.

"The psychostrategist?" asked Jenna.

"Yes, he's up here too," said Argus.

"Good luck. We will wait for your signal," said Jenna.

"Argus, out."

"Luck and hope?" said Sester.

"I take it psychostrategists don't believe in the concepts?" asked Avon.

"I'm surprised that you would," said Sester.

"Normally, I don't. But with Blake, usually those were the only things he did operate on."

"It must have been frustrating for you," said Sester.

"Constantly. But luck does have its uses. Especially when there is nothing else," said Avon.

"Gentlemen, let's focus on the strategy for now," said Argus.

"I'll go check on the weapons," said Avon. He headed towards the flight deck steps.

"Avon."

Avon paused and turned towards Argus again.

"Drugs," said Argus.

Avon nodded and headed for the steps leading from the flight deck.

"Get some for me too," Argus called after him.

Avon smiled and exited.

* * *

Avon came back onto the flight deck, holding a bio-injector.

"What's the status of the weapons systems?" asked Argus.

"It's not good," said Avon as he applied the injector to Argus's neck. "They dismantled the entire system and tried rebuilding it by interfacing their own technology. It was only partially successful. We have eight, maybe nine shots with the neutron blasters before they experience a meltdown."

"You're right, it's not good. Especially not with more ships out there," said Argus. "We have a decision then. We can continue with the strategy or run until we can get the weapons fixed."

"That's going to take time we do not have," said Avon. "And parts we also do not have."

"Or we can just run," said Sester. "But they would likely move up their invasion plans."

There was silence as they each contemplated the options.

Argus made a decision. He asked Avon, "How are our odds compared to the ones you faced at Star One?"

"The same," replied Avon.

"What if we were destroyed but not before we showed them what their real odds were? Would that still stop them?" Argus asked Sester.

Both Argus and Avon looked at the psychostrategist expectantly.

Sester realized that this was finally his moment of truth. It was time to decide what he would be willing to die for.

If he told them that it would not work, then there would be no point in sacrificing themselves. They would survive. Humanity would still be in danger. It was no different than where they were currently.

But now they had a chance to stop it before it began. One chance.

_Is this what it feels like when your life hangs in the balance? When the survival of an entire people depends on your decision? When you are asked to risk your life for those you have never met? People are barely more than puppets to me. Should their lives matter to me?_

His decision seemed to take along time but in reality it was only a few seconds.

Sester made his decision.

"It should still be effective," said Sester.

"Then what are we waiting for?" asked Argus. "Avon?"

Avon hesitated and then he smiled. "Nothing at all."


	32. Chapter 32

Chapter Thirty-Two

"Sester, go and get Reya. Tell her to release the tunnel link. Then I need her on weapons up here." Argus was sitting at Jenna's main pilot station.

Sester raced out.

"Psychostrategists may not crawl, but this one does seem to be able to run," said Avon sarcastically. He was sitting at his operations station. "He may survive working for Servalan after all."

"Can you stop being hard on him until after this crisis?" asked Argus.

"Don't worry about him. He's a survivor," said Avon.

"Like you?"

"We are nothing alike." Avon tested the response of the various controls on his panel.

"You seem to be not like a lot of people, Avon." Argus was doing the same at his pilot's console.

"Do not try to psycho-analyze me, Argus. You're not very good at it."

"Just giving you my observations."

"Observe something else."

"Do you think you can keep up with the calculations?" Argus tested the movement of the manual flight controls.

"You think that my mind is still compromised?"

"No. I just don't think you're a machine."

Avon smiled ironically. "I know many people who would disagree with you on that. Do you think you can handle the piloting? You're not as experienced or skilled as Jenna is."

"I'm well aware of that. Fortunately it doesn't take precision flying to do this."

"Let's hope not."

Sester came back onto the flight deck. He was out of breath from running.

"Reya is releasing the tunnel now. She will be here when she's done," he reported.

"You do realize that you don't have to run," said Avon dryly. "We haven't started yet."

Sester smiled wryly. "I suppose not."

Ever since Sester had made his decision, everything seemed to have taken on an additional urgency.

"I need you to keep an eye on shield status and the energy banks," said Argus, pointing to the bank of panels directly in front of Avon's station. Sester nodded and crossed over to the indicated spot.

Once he was in position, Sester asked Avon, "Have you calculated our chances of surviving this?"

"There isn't one," said Avon.

"You mean no chance? I thought you said that our chances are the same as those you faced at Star One?"

"They are."

"But you survived that."

"Yes."

Sester was certain that Avon was playing games with him.

"You mean you survived against your calculated odds?"

"Against the calculated logical odds, yes."

Sester smiled.

"Before we begin this suicidal endeavour, would this help?" asked Reya as she stood at the top of the flight deck steps. She just arrived and had heard the last part of their conversation.

She held out a small control unit as she came down the steps and handed it to Argus.

"What is this?" asked Argus.

"It looks like a remote unit of some kind," remarked Avon as he looked over.

They all regarded the small device with interest.

"Yes, it's a remote detonator," explained Reya. "When I saw what they were doing to you Argus, I thought you might like a little revenge. So I rigged charges in key places on their command ship. It should make a nice satisfying explosion."

"You saw? Everything?" asked Argus uncomfortably.

"Yes," she told him. _I'm sorry._

"How large of an explosion?" asked Avon.

Reya turned to him and replied. "It should effectively take out the entire ship."

They all looked at her with astonishment.

"This is your idea of _a little revenge_?" asked Sester.

"Reya, would it be large enough to take out any ships around it?" asked Argus.

"I set charges along their entire power distribution grid. The explosion should affect any ships in close proximity to it," replied Reya. "But they would have to be very close. Within two hundred spatials at most."

"Remind me never to cross you," Avon said to Reya.

"I was very angry," said Reya.

"We will have to adjust our tactics," said Argus.

"What do you have in mind?" asked Avon.

"I was thinking of a chase pattern in order to group as many of them as possible. Can you compensate?" asked Argus.

"Yes."

"We will save our shots for the remaining ships."

"This may not work. They must have proximity sensors which prevent the kind of close grouping we need," said Avon.

"It will depend on the manoeuvrability of their ships," said Argus.

"Well, let's hope they're slow," said Avon.

Argus laughed.

"Does this give you what you need then?" asked Reya.

"You have given us a much greater chance," said Avon. "Even if it only takes out the command ship. Losing that one would be a great psychological blow to the others."

"Have I said how wonderful you are lately?" Argus asked Reya as he took her in his arms and kissed her. It no longer mattered to him how she looked. He knew that this might be their last chance.

Without thinking, Reya immediately responded to him. For a few moments, it seemed as if there was nothing else except each other.

All too soon their mutual sense of duty reasserted itself and they reluctantly let each other go.

"I would kiss you as well, but I'm afraid Argus would dismember me," Avon said to Reya.

"And don't look at me, I would actually like to survive this encounter," said Sester.

Both men were trying not to smile.

"You're just jealous," said Argus.

"Amazing, he's finally figured it out," said Sester.

"He is slow sometimes," said Avon.

Reya decided to nip this in the bud. She turned to the two men, "Do the two of you actually have a strategy or do you just plan to entertain the enemy with your comedy routine?"

With various responses of "Sorry, Commander" and suppressed smiles from Avon and Sester, the three men turned serious again.

Argus touched Reya's arm briefly, "Weapons control, Reya."

She nodded and went over to Vila's plasma blaster station.

Argus instructed, "Zen, battle and navigation computers on-line."

"Confirmed. Battle and navigation computers on-line."

"Have the battle computers calculate all probable vectors of ships currently in visual scanner range until further notice and route them to Avon's terminal."

"Confirmed."

Avon began working quickly on the panel in front of him as the data began streaming into his station.

Reya knew what the two men were about to do. It was something which had never been attempted before. It was something Avon had developed while watching Argus during the challenges on the invaders' ship.

In physical combat, Argus's strength was predicting strike patterns and choreographing opponent positions. These abilities were what kept him alive during the challenges in the cell. But when applied to space combat, they were useless.

Shortly Avon said, "Additional vectors calculated."

Argus's abilities were useless, unless someone could provide him with the probabilities and vector strengths of ship opponents rather than human opponents.

Argus looked down at his own panel. "I see them. These are much better."

Reya knew that the battle computers provided such information. But battle computers were logical machines, hampered by a lack of creativity. If they had been asked to recommend a course of action, she knew that they would have suggested that they surrender. They did not possess the insightful genius which Avon possessed; the genius to be able to calculate the vectors which the computers could not imagine. Vectors which would give them the edge to win against overwhelming odds.

"Let's show our 'friends' what their real odds are like, shall we?" Argus smiled.

Reya remembered this smile. It was not the kind of smile he would direct at her. It was a smile reserved for those he was about to destroy.

"Zen, position us at grid reference D-10272. Speed standard by two," said Argus.

"Confirmed."

"That got their attention," said Avon. "They are powering up shields and weapons."

"Avon, you're the one they consider a legend. Go ahead and make contact," said Argus.

"Zen, establish a communications channel with the command ship and route to main viewscreen," said Avon.

"Confirmed. Channel established," Zen responded.

Avon hesitated then looked over at Sester, he nodded. Sester crossed over to stand by Avon.

"This is Kerr Avon. I believe you should be looking for me."

After a few moments, the main viewscreen showed a man in a blue uniform.

The blue uniformed leader did not look pleased.

"You will surrender immediately and submit to being boarded," he demanded.

Avon smiled. It was the kind of superior smile which Vila would have immediately responded to with a biting remark; under his breath of course.

"Let's not waste our time with threats we both know will not work," said Avon dryly.

Reya watched Avon as he spoke. She knew his reputation and was aware of his current weaknesses; but she also knew that Argus trusted him.

"I noticed that you did not question how we were able to escape and regain control of the ship," said Sester.

"You must have had help," said the leader.

"Yes. But what kind of help?" said Avon. "You searched this ship. Did you find anyone onboard?"

"_Is_ it feasible that someone could have hidden from you for so long?" Avon asked cynically. "What are the other possibilities? How do _you_ think we escaped?"

_Very clever, Avon_, thought Reya appreciatively.

"Would you like some help with those possibilities?" Sester asked the man on the viewscreen. "You expressed an interest in how psychostrategy works. Shall I give you an example?"

Avon addressed Sester, "He may not like what you have to say. I know I wouldn't."

"You never like anything I say," said Sester.

"That much is true."

They could see that the man on the screen was starting to get angry.

Reya suppressed a smile when she realized what the two men were doing. It was a deadly version of their comedy routine.

Avon asked the blue leader on the vidscreen, "Do you remember what I told you on our first meeting? That it would be a more useful test if you gave me a ship?"

The blue leader frowned and replied, "Yes."

"You have been testing all of us in order to make a decision. The decision whether your people should invade this galaxy."

The man on the screen hesitated then said, "That is correct."

"That wasn't a question," said Avon with a cynical smile.

"What do you want?" the leader asked. They could all see that he was suspicious.

"It is not a matter of what I want. It is a matter of what your people need from you," said Avon.

The blue leader laughed, "You are the ones with the need."

"Is that why _you_ have been testing _us_?" asked Sester. He could sound just as satirical as Avon. "Because we are the ones with the need?"

The man stopped laughing.

"Your people need you to understand," said Avon. His voice was cold but reasonable.

"You have not found out what you wanted to know, have you?" asked Sester. "Even after all the testing. Do you want to know why?"

"I doubt if they would understand even if you explained it," Avon remarked to Sester.

"Perhaps given time," said Sester.

"Which they do not have," said Avon.

The blue leader said angrily, "Stop!"

"I think it is time to show you what your real odds are against us," said Avon finally.

"You do not have the minefield to give you an advantage this time," pointed out the blue leader.

"I do not need a minefield this time. Not when I have Argus and Sester. We are going to show you why humanity will be a dangerous minefield for you, if you chose to invade."

"Avon," interrupted Sester. "Remember to leave them one ship."

Avon turned to look at the psychostrategist. Sester nodded.

Avon turned back to the screen, "I will permit you one ship. You can remove one ship from the conflict. Not yours. This ship will be responsible for carrying this message back to your people once it is finished."

The blue leader looked outraged. "How dare you make conditions?!"

"You _know_ why I dare," said Avon coldly. "I will not make this offer again."

Avon closed the comm link. "Will it work?" he asked.

"There is a fifty percent chance," said Sester. "It depends on whether his responsibility is more important to him than his pride. And how much in awe his people are of you. Fear can do interesting things to people's rationality. Especially if they do not possess the ability you and Argus do when faced with danger. I imagine there are some heated discussions going on right now."

"And if they don't?" asked Argus.

"Then we are still better off than before. The fact that they are taking this long to discuss it already works in our favour."

They waited.

A ship began moving out of position. It was moving out of the field of battle.

Avon began to work quickly on the panel in front of him.

"And now we have six," said Argus. "Very nicely done gentlemen."

Sester nodded. "I leave the others to the three of you."

"Avon?" asked Argus.

"New vectors calculated," said Avon. "Sending."

"Good." As Argus absorbed the information, he was visualizing himself as the _Justice_ and each ship as the opponent.

He quickly made his own determinations on the best possible first move.

"With the explosives and one less ship, how are our chances now?" asked Sester.

"Three to one," replied Avon distractedly. He was making some additional calculations.

"Those are much better odds," said Sester.

"Three to one for making an effective point," clarified Avon as he finished his calculations. "Greater than zero for surviving."

Reya had been watching the interaction between Argus and Avon with interest. One was her lover; she trusted Argus with her life. The other she had only known for a short while and despite any difficulties Avon may have, Reya found she was starting to trust him too.

"What do you think they're doing up there?" Vila asked the woman who was standing beside him.

"I don't know, Vila," said Cally.

They were both looking up into the night sky, from the window of their hiding place.

"I imagine they are preparing for battle," she told him.

"But there's a whole invasion fleet up there," said Vila.

"Yes. That's likely," said Cally. Her voice was filled with sadness.

"How could they win?" said Vila.

"I don't know, Vila," said Cally. She could not think of anything to say which would help calm Vila's fears; when she felt the same herself.

Vila was glad that he was not on the ship right now. He had always hated facing dangers which got people killed; especially if that people included himself. But part of him also wished he could help.

_I wish there was a lock I could open that would fix this. _

Vila looked down at his injured arm. He had almost forgotten that he couldn't do that now.

Back during the alien conflict at Star One, Avon had been able to find ways to use the minefield to their advantage. That was how they had been able to hold out until the Federation forces arrived.

"Avon doesn't even have a minefield to help him now." Vila was very depressed.

On the _Justice_, all preparations were complete.

"Zen, bring up the force-wall. Activate the radiation flare shield," Argus ordered.

"Confirmed."

"Clear blasters for firing."

"Confirmed."

He took hold of the manual ship controls. "Enable manual navigation."

"Confirmed."

On the screen they could see the remaining six ships moving to surround them. The _Justice_ was also shifting as Argus began to counter.

Avon was bent over the panel in front of him. His face was a picture of concentration, his fingers seemed to dance over the controls; he was applying his mind to find the vectors Argus would need in order to save all of their lives.

The battle had begun.


	33. Chapter 33

Chapter Thirty-Three

Particle beams sliced towards the _Justice_ from all directions. An exploding plasma torpedo lit up the darkness as it hit the force-wall.

The six invader ships surrounded them. There seemed to be no escape. No matter which direction they moved, the enemy kept them in the centre. They were liked a trapped animal hemmed in on all sides.

* * *

"Humans. So arrogant. Perhaps the legend was more luck than anything else," said the blue leader to his second in command. They were watching their ships pound the _Justice_ with a mix of particle beams and plasma torpedoes. "Perhaps our tests did not find anything because there was nothing to find. The only thing they seem to have is stubbornness and an inability to admit when they have lost." 

"It does seem so sir," replied the Second. "At this rate, it should not take long to disable them."

The Second wondered why the _Justice_ had not fired at all. He wondered why the ship had barely moved and why they seemed to be allowing themselves to be hit.

As with everyone else, the Second had watched the broadcast of Argus's matches in the cell. Even though the enemy combatant always lost in the broadcasts, he was always facing more opponents than he should logically have been able to face. The Second wasn't sure if luck was really the entire explanation.

But he did not express his opinion. It was not his place to question a Prime.

* * *

"Do we plan to do something more interesting than being a slow, moving target?" Avon asked with distracted sarcasm, as he continued making calculations. "I have given you more than enough vectors to avoid them." 

"I am not trying to avoid them," said Argus. "At least not most of them."

"We've noticed," Avon said dryly as more particle beams hit the force-wall; causing flaring as the particles were scattered.

Two more plasma torpedoes raced towards them from two of the enemy ships. Argus tracked both of them as they approached.

So far the _Justice_ had not fired a single shot. They had only made limited movements and none to indicate they were trying to break out of the circle of ships.

Amidst the numerous particle beams which reached them, the torpedoes were barely noticed; except when they hit. Where the particle beams barely made an impact, the plasma torpedoes rocked the ship.

As the torpedoes neared, Argus made a manoeuvre with the ship.

They all held onto whatever was closest as one of the two torpedoes impacted the force-wall; the other one missed.

"Force-wall status," said Argus.

"Down thirty percent," said Sester as he got up from his knees and looked at the indicators. The last torpedo impact had knocked him off his feet.

"Energy reserves and damage status?"

"Banks one through seven are still fully charged. Minimal damage."

"Zen, shut down all non-essential ship's systems and route all power to shields and weapons."

"Confirmed."

* * *

There were so many particle beams that it seemed like a web of bright threads all extending towards the _Justice_. 

"Sir, our particle beams do not appear to be causing much damage, but they are wearing down their shields," reported the Second. "The torpedoes are doing much greater damage."

"More torpedoes then. I want them taken out."

"Yes, sir."

* * *

"If this is a change in plan. I would suggest a new plan," said Avon. "Before we show our friends why it is a good idea to invade this galaxy." 

"Just keep sending the vectors, Avon," said Argus. He tracked as two more ships sent plasma torpedoes towards them. This time they were sent in groupings of two and three.

Just a little more, thought Argus.

Argus veered as the torpedoes were about to hit.

One of the torpedoes struck them. The rest missed. Sester was sent crashing into the couch in front of Avon's station. Everyone else managed to stay on their feet.

"Force-wall status."

"Down thirty-five percent. We have begun drawing on energy bank one."

Four more ships sent plasma torpedoes towards them again. This time in groups of four.

Argus smiled. This progression was what he had been waiting for.

"Argus, if you want to do something different, now would be a good time," said Avon.

"Now is the perfect time," replied Argus. He looked down at the data vectors streaming in from Avon's terminal and picked the ones he needed.

"Hang on everyone. This is going to be ugly." Argus knew that if Jenna was there, she probably would have been able to manage the manoeuvres much more smoothly. And with much less falling from Sester as the psychostrategist lost his footing again when Argus made a sudden quick lateral drop with the ship.

This time, all twelve torpedoes missed. Two of them hit each other and exploded.

The enemy seemed confused. A so far barely moving opponent now seemed to be trying to escape.

* * *

"Don't let them get away. Direct all ships to keep them in the firing circle." 

"Yes, sir."

The blue leader smiled. Avon was trying to run. He would soon find out that there was nowhere he could run to.

* * *

The enemy ships began making their own quick lateral drops in order to follow the _Justice_'s movements; intending to keep the ship within their circle of fire. 

Argus noticed that they had tightened the circle as well. He had expected this.

He quickly made another sudden lateral movement to bring the ship back up and also slightly shifted position. The enemy quickly followed suit. They were very determined to keep the _Justice_ trapped.

Using Avon's calculations, Argus had timed it exactly.

Four plasma torpedoes hit the enemy ships. These were four of the twelve which had missed the _Justice_ just a few moments ago. The enemy had been so focused on the _Justice_ that they barely registered the resultant misses of their own torpedoes; until it was too late to move out of the way.

Sester had a smile on his face as he realized what Argus was doing. It was something he had been observing in the enemy's tactics. As long as Argus kept the ship's movements along a lateral plane, so did they. The sudden change in tactics had confused the enemy enough to lead them into making a mistake.

Argus barely had time to smile. Without a pause, he suddenly increased their speed and headed straight towards one of the ships.

For the next fifteen minutes, Argus made quick unexpected movements with the ship, causing the enemy to move increasingly out of position in order to avoid collision with the _Justice_, each other or weapons fire from their companions.

Avon was frantically trying to catch up. He now had the ships and increased number of plasma torpedoes to content with. He could feel his body drawing on reserves of energy in order to meet the strain. Avon knew that physically, he did not have much to draw on.

By now all of the enemy ships had suffered at least one hit with their own weapons. One of them was in bad shape after being the unfortunate and unintended recipient of a full salvo of torpedoes. It had stopped firing and had left the field of battle. Another was also heavily damaged but was still firing.

"Reya, on my mark, one shot at ship two, target their engines."

"Ready."

Argus headed straight towards the still firing damaged ship at maximum speed, rolling as he went to avoid the shots from the other ships. At the last second before they hit the other ship, he swerved past it.

"Now Reya."

The neutron blasters fired. There was a direct hit on the engines. The ship exploded. The _Justice_ continued past the explosion.

They had now escaped the circle.

* * *

In the shock of their own ship exploding and the apparent escape of the _Justice_, the enemy reacted in confusion. They began chasing after their opponent. Argus quickly reversed and came straight at them again, passing straight through them. The enemy barely had time to be shocked and fired a full salvo of torpedoes towards the _Justice_ in order to stop it. Three hit the force-wall and exploded, rocking the ship violently. Inside, they all lost their footing and fell to the deck. 

But one thing which was achieved, the remaining enemy ships had begun to bunch together.

Argus made more unexpected movements, constantly rushing at each of them at full speed. They soon learned that firing full salvos when they were that close together was only damaging themselves. This meant they were forced to make the moves which Argus wanted them to make. Each of his vectors was planned so that they would not have a choice except to move closer together.

The pressure on the enemy ships was unrelenting. There was one unexpected move after another.

Avon was reaching exhaustion.

"Sester," he called out to the psychostrategist. His voice was weak. "Adrenaline."

Sester spotted the bio-injector which had been left on Argus's console and went over to retrieve it.

"Me too," said Argus as Sester picked it up. Both men's faces were strained and tired.

"Which one of you is more tired?" Sester asked.

They both gave a brief smile before saying, "He is."

Sester gave them both shots and one for himself before returning to his station.

* * *

The remaining ships were all chasing the _Justice_ now. 

On the enemy's command ship, there was great confusion.

"Report!" said the blue leader.

"All of our ships have sustained hits, sir. One has been destroyed; one needs repair time in order to be able to continue firing."

The Second wondered if he should mention that except for the single shot which had resulted in the destruction of one of their pursuit ships, all of the other hits had been from their own weapons. He decided not to; the leader was already in a bad enough mood.

It really wasn't luck after all, he thought.

* * *

The proximity alert signal went off at the navigator's station again. The navigator made a course correction. 

A few seconds later, it went off again. This time the navigator decided to move further away.

"What are you doing?" demanded the blue leader.

"We're too close sir. We keep tripping the proximity alerts," said the navigator.

"Then turn them off. We must keep up the pressure, we cannot let them escape. We must keep them within a close range of fire," said the leader. "Communicate this to all ships," he directed his Second.

As the Second was doing this, the blue leader directed the weapons officer, "Another full spread of torpedoes."

Five more torpedoes raced towards the _Justice_.

The leader could see that the _Justice_ was starting to show the effects of the concentrated fire. Damage was appearing in numerous sections of the ship. He was determined to destroy it.

* * *

In the last few manoeuvres, the enemy had shown that they were tolerating a closer proximity to each other in an attempt to restrict the _Justice_'s movements. 

It's taken long enough, thought Argus.

"Avon, issue a warning. I want more of the torpedoes in play."

"Don't we already have enough?" asked Avon as the ship was rocked by another torpedo hit.

Sester was knocked to the ground again. He was developing a nice collection of bruises.

_Any more and I'm going to start looking like Argus. Minus the muscle development_.

"I need them. We have to group them closer. It's the only way I can do it," said Argus.

"You realize that it will make it more dangerous for us as well?"

"Well, unless you can provide me with better vectors, it's the only way."

"Zen, open a communications channel to the command ship," said Avon.

Zen answered, "Confirmed, communications link established."

"This is Kerr Avon."

The blue leader appeared on the screen. "Are you willing to surrender now?"

Avon smiled coldly. "I was about to ask you the same question."

"I thought you were a rational man, Avon. You know you cannot win. You will only die in a futile gesture. And take your companions with you."

"How futile will it be if I destroyed your command ship?" asked Avon. He cut off communications abruptly.

* * *

Being threatened and then cut off without warning did not sit well with the enemy leader. 

"Direct all ships to commence firing and do not stop until that ship is destroyed."

* * *

"You can be a very irritating man when you want to be," remarked Argus as each of the remaining four ships sent salvos of torpedoes in their direction. 

"I hope you know what you're doing. I would like my last act to be something more than just irritating," said Avon.

"Don't worry, it won't be," said Argus.

With that, Argus began a series of intricate manoeuvres, each one designed to confuse the enemy and cause them to group closer together.

More torpedoes impacted the ship, knocking everyone to the ground and filling the flight deck with more smoke as panels burst into flames.

"Energy banks one through four exhausted, drawing on five. Force-wall down to ten percent," reported Sester when he managed to get up again. "Main engines have sustained forty percent damage. We've lost auxiliary engines."

"Hang on," warned Argus.

He was ready for one final manoeuvre.

"Reya, be ready with the remote detonator. On my mark. Fire two shots at the command ship's engines then hit the detonator."

"Acknowledged."

Argus brought the ship around and headed straight for the enemy ships, aiming for a gap between two of the ships.

"We're not going to make it," warned Avon.

"Did you ever think that we were going to?" asked Argus.

More torpedoes rocked the ship. They all fell to the deck. The panel in front of Sester exploded in flames and sent him flying across the flight deck.

Argus climbed back up and grabbed the controls in order to maintain their course. He glanced over at Sester. The psychostrategist was lying very still, there was blood flowing from a wound to his temple and another larger wound around the abdominal area.

"Sester. Are you alright?" Argus asked.

There was no response. There was nothing any of them could do for him right now. They had to maintain their present course.

The enemy ships moved to intercept and close the gap.

Another explosion rocked the _Justice_. The ship was beginning to fail.

"Avon, check the force-wall status," said Argus.

"Force-wall has collapsed. Energy banks one through five are finished. Sixty-percent on bank six," said Avon.

"Re-charge the force-wall to half capacity."

"Force-wall back at fifty percent. Energy bank six finished, drawing on seven. That's the last one," Avon stressed. The recharge was just in time as more torpedoes impacted the ship.

"I know," said Argus. The _Justice_ had almost reached the gap which no longer existed. Argus made a hard left, right into the command ship. It left the enemy barely enough time to react. The command ship immediately reversed, backing into the two ships following it.

More plasma torpedoes hit the _Justice_. It was virtually impossible to avoid them at this range. More systems were failing. More explosions occurred on the flight deck. Both Avon and Reya suffered minor burns but were still standing.

"Now, Reya!"

Two neutron blaster shots hit the command ship.

For a moment, nothing seemed to happen; then the command ship exploded and began to break apart. Pieces of it flying outwards with accompanying flashes and hit the other two ships. By the time the other ships realized what was happening, it was already too late.

The destruction of the command ship was very satisfying.

There was now one ship left.

Unfortunately, the _Justice_'s engines were now damaged and were no longer capable of more than standard speed. They were running on the final energy bank, which was at fifty percent and falling fast. The force-wall was at ten percent. Most systems were starting to fail. And the neutron blasters were no longer operational.

"Argus, I think I see an escape capsule," said Reya.

There was a single life capsule in the vicinity of the command ship.

"What do you think, Avon? Do you think our blue uniformed friend survived?" asked Argus

"Let's find out," said Avon, with a wry smile.

"Zen, are there any life signs in the life capsule at grid position E-20291?" asked Avon.

"Confirmed. There is one life sign."

"Can you establish a communications link with the capsule?"

"Confirmed. Communications link establish."

On the main viewscreen, the injured blue leader appeared. He was not happy.

Avon asked, "What did you think of our futile gesture?"

The leader reached for a control in front of him.

Avon said, "If you close communications, we will destroy you now. I only want to talk."

The man put his hand back down.

Avon continued, "You have a decision to make now. You know that you cannot defeat us. We have clearly shown you that."

The leader was visibly angry but he did not say anything.

Avon said, "You seem to be a reasonable man. It should not be a difficult decision to make. Are you willing to risk the lives of your people given what we have shown you today? There may only be one of me but I guarantee you that there are many more like Argus and Sester. Think carefully."


	34. Chapter 34

Chapter Thirty-Four

It had not been much of a decision for the enemy's leader. He had a heavy responsibility; he could not commit his people to a war which they did not have a clear chance of winning. Facing down the damaged ship in his own lone defenseless life capsule had made the point very clear.

"You win. For now," said the leader with barely suppressed anger. "I will bring the message back to my people."

"It is good to know that we both can be reasonable men," said Avon. "I will stop our attack, once you order your ships to stand down."

The blue leader reached for a control on the panel in front of him. His image disappeared from the main viewer.

"Zen, sensor readings on the remaining enemy ships. I want their shield and weapons status. Report any changes," said Argus.

"Confirmed."

After a few moments, Zen reported, "All ships within visual sensor range have powered down weapons and shields."

"Reya, look after Sester," said Argus. She nodded and went to the aid of the injured man.

Argus ordered, "Zen, power down the neutron blasters and the aft shields. What is the status of the autorepair units?"

"Confirmed. Autorepair units are currently assessing all ships systems for damage."

"Have them concentrate on the shields and drive engines first."

"Confirmed."

"Report immediately if there is any change in the enemy ships' weapons and shield status."

"Confirmed. Information. Communication signal from the life capsule at grid position E-20291."

Argus looked expectantly at Avon.

Avon instructed, "Onscreen."

The blue leader appeared on the main viewscreen again.

Before the man could say anything, Avon said, "You have twenty-four hours to clear your people off the planet and to leave this galaxy." He cut off communication abruptly before the leader had a chance to reply.

"You have irritation down to a science," remarked Argus.

"Is that a compliment?" asked Avon.

"I don't know do living legends require compliments?"

"It keeps us humble," said Avon dryly.

Argus laughed.

Now that the battle appeared to be over, both men were starting to feel the effects of the prolonged stress. Avon's face was pale and drawn. He leaned back. Exhaustion seemed to overcome him all of a sudden.

"Avon?" Argus asked with concern as he came over.

"It's nothing. I'm just tired," said Avon, trying to dismiss his help.

"Here, lie down and get some rest," Argus said as he helped Avon over to the couch.

"This is unnecessary," protested Avon.

"Humour me," said Argus.

Avon fell into an exhausted asleep the moment he lay down. Argus smiled and shook his head. He went over to where Reya was tending to the psychostrategist. She had a med kit open and spread out on the ground next to him. There was a lot of blood.

"How is he?" asked Argus.

"Not good," said Reya. "He's got a severe concussion and I can't stop the internal bleeding with this equipment. There's not much else I can do for him. I don't think your medical bay has been repaired yet. He needs a healer or he's going to bleed to death."

"Zen, what is the status of the teleport system?" asked Argus.

"Teleport malfunction is complete. Automatic shutdown has been initiated."

"Estimated time for restoration of teleport function?"

"Repair of teleport system is undetermined due to prior request to concentrate autorepair units on force-wall and main drive systems. Do you wish to change the priority of autorepair efforts?"

"Damn. How about the status of the medical bay systems?"

"Malfunction of medical units is complete. Do you wish to change the priority of autorepair efforts?"

Argus was faced with a tough choice. Right now they were completely helpless. If the enemy realized it, then they would be in serious trouble. They needed the ship repaired as soon as possible.

Despite being technically the enemy, Sester had helped them a great deal. Argus had come to respect the man and the decision he had made to face the enemy together with them. Argus suspected that no matter how much Avon had against the man that he did also.

_I need another solution_, thought Argus. He did not like his current options.

"Zen, continue with current priority of autorepair efforts."

"Confirmed."

Argus went back over to where Avon was sleeping. He bent down and shook Avon by the shoulder.

"Avon."

Avon opened his eyes. Seeing Argus, he asked immediately, "What's wrong?"

"Are you up to doing a little repair work?"

"Have they made a move?" asked Avon as Argus helped him up.

"No. But Sester needs medical attention. He has severe internal bleeding. I need you to repair the teleport or the medical bay systems. Whichever will be quicker."

"Alright. It will be quicker fixing the medical units he needs to stop the bleeding. I'm going to need help though."

"Reya can do that."

Argus looked at Avon curiously; he had expected at least some resistance.

"You're surprised that I would help him?" asked Avon.

"Not really. But I was expecting some opposition first."

"I do not like wasting good opponents."

"Yes, it would be a waste," said Argus sarcastically.

* * *

"Cally. Jenna. Come over here!" exclaimed Vila excitedly. As usual, he had been looking out of the window onto the avenues below.

The two women rushed over.

"Look. I think they're leaving," said Vila.

There were columns of enemy soldiers marching towards the central square where the main Federation Security building was. Shuttles could be seen lifting off and landing one after the other.

"I think you're right, Vila," said Cally.

"This means that we won, doesn't it?" Vila asked.

"We should contact the ship," said Jenna. She got the modified comm unit from the table.

"Argus, this is Jenna. Are you receiving?"

"Receiving you loud and clear, Jenna," said Argus's voice over the comm unit's speaker.

"It's good to hear your voice," said Jenna.

"Are all of you alright?"

"Yes. We're all fine. We should be asking you that," said Jenna. "I take it congratulations are in order? The invaders are evacuating down here."

"Good. Avon and Sester came up with a plan. We can go into the details later. I can't bring you up yet. The teleport system is still out."

"Don't worry about us. We're safe. We can stay here as long as you need."

"Alright. I will contact you when we're ready to bring you up. It might not be for a couple of days. There was extensive damage to the ship's systems."

Extensive damage to the ship's systems did not sound good.

Cally interjected, "Argus, is everyone alright?"

There was a pause.

Argus's voice replied over the comm unit, "Sester sustained severe injuries. I have Avon working to repair the medical units. Let me know if the situation changes down there."

"Will do," said Jenna. "Stay out of trouble."

"It's too bad you didn't say that before," said Argus jokingly. "Argus, out."

* * *

The invaders did not need twenty-four hours to clear their troops. They were very efficient. Within ten hours, the ground invasion force and the remaining ships were on their way out of the system.

"Zen, are the extra-range sensors operational?" asked Argus.

He was now alone on the flight deck. Avon was in the medical bay making repairs. Reya was attending to Sester, also in the medical bay.

"Confirmed. Extra-range sensors are undamaged."

"Activate extra-range sensors. Have the battle computers track the ships leaving. Inform me if they make any unusual movements. Have the navigation computers triangulate their heading when they leave sensor range."

"Confirmed."

Argus slowly sat down on the couch. Exhaustion was starting to overtake him as well. The pain from his injuries was starting to bother him again. The drugs were wearing off and unfortunately the bio-injector had been returned to the medical bay with Sester.

He decided not to call Reya, the pain helped keep him awake. Someone would have to monitor the invaders retreat until they left the system.

* * *

Cally, Vila, Jenna, Allren and Ture were celebrating the withdrawal of the invaders by sharing a meal together. Allren was recovered enough now to join them.

Vila provided a bottle of wine for the festivities. How he managed that none of them knew. No one had seen him leave their hiding place.

Vila raised his glass in a toast, "I don't know how they did it but I'm glad they did. So cheers to them."

They all raised their glasses in a salute to the four who were on the ship.

At that moment there were sounds of gunfire. Lots of gunfire.

"I thought they all left?" said Vila in alarm.

They all rushed to the window to take a look outside.

* * *

Avon found it difficult to keep his eyes focused on the fine details of the medical apparatus he was working on. He was tired and his hands were starting to shake. Whenever he was tired, his knee seemed to hurt more. He leaned back against the chair and closed his eyes.

"Do all men find it necessary to suffer in silence?" asked Reya. She had come over to check on his progress with the medical equipment.

Avon opened his eyes. "If humanly possible, yes," he said wryly. "I take it Argus is like that?"

"Yes, he seems to treat pain more as an annoyance than a symptom," said Reya.

"He would."

"Would it interfere with your suffering too much if I offered to give you another shot of adrenaline and a pain blocker?" she asked.

Avon said, "Argus never mentioned you had a sense of humour."

"He wouldn't mention a lot of things," said Reya dryly.

"How is our psychostrategist doing?"

"Not good. He's losing a lot of blood. How are you doing with the repairs?"

"I've had to improvise. We don't have all of the parts required. It should take another two hours."

"He might not have that long."

* * *

On the flight deck, Argus was sitting on the couch. He was trying not to fall asleep as he listened to a detail systems status report from Zen.

In the middle of the report, Zen said, "Information. Intermediate range sensors have detected a fleet of ships approaching."

Argus immediately sat up and grimaced. He had forgotten that quick movements were painful for him.

"Put them on the screen."

The viewscreen showed a star field and at a distance, many fast moving dots.

"Identify."

"Available data classifies them as Federation pursuit ships."

"How many?"

"Twenty ships have been detected."

_A strike group._

"Zen, with our current engine status, what is our maximum speed and distance?"

"Standard by two, three million spatials."

_No hope of outrunning them. Just once, I would like to deal with only one impossible situation per day._

Argus activated the internal ship's comm.

"Avon, I need you up here now!"


End file.
